Miraculous: A Tangled Adventure
by GameGirl31996
Summary: Marinette has an incredible power: she can heal people and bring some good luck whenever she sings because of her magic earrings. For her own protection, her father, Hawkmoth, keeps her hidden in a tower for 14 years until a handsome thief named Cat Noir shows up and whisks her away on an unforgettable adventure. I do not own Miraculous or Tangled.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Book 3 is now here! This is a crossover of Tangled and Miraculous! I was thinking about posting my genderbend Little Mermaid stories, but I gave that story to my aunt to read and haven't gotten it back from her yet. So until I do, Miraculous crossovers for everyone! Also, sorry I didn't post this sooner. Was focusing on sending in a ton of last minute paperwork for my college graduation and now have to scramble to (hopefully) get into graduate school. If not, oh well. There's always the spring semester. So, the beginning might be a little slow, but I promise, things will get more exciting! Now this will be a little different as instead of the kwami's coming with their Miraculous, they are actually separated and it is the kwami's job to find their new owner by sensing their Miraculous. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense and this story might be confusing sometimes and I apologize for that. But it does have its good parts! Without further ado, here is chapter 1! (I do not own anything)**

* * *

_**Once upon a time...**_

A very long time ago,

There was an old man named Master Fu, the last of ancient monk guardians who swore to look after and protect the jewels known as the Miraculouses. Each Miraculous had its own unique power. One day, a not at all young man found the brooch of the butterfly with the power to give others super powers. But the guardian made a grave mistake on giving the man the Miraculous as he became dark and twisted. When the man heard of the Earrings of Creation and the Ring of Destruction and the wish that would be granted should these two ever come together, he craved to be young forever and be the most powerful man to ever live. But when the man went to steal the two jewels from the master, he was gone. The man's name was Hawkmoth.

Meanwhile, a kingdom called Coccinelle was rejoicing over King Tom and Queen Sabine about to have a baby! A beautiful baby girl was soon born with dark midnight hair and bluebell eyes! But, she was very sick. Instead of crying when she was born, she was quiet.

Fearing she would die if they didn't act quickly, King Tom heard of the guardian who had the Earrings of Creation and was said to help. The search was on! Everyone searched until Master Fu appeared, knowing the reason why they search and gave them to him, no questions asked. Hawkmoth saw this and was irritated. Before he could confront the old man, the master disappeared again.

The king and queen placed the earrings on their daughter and, as she glowed for a moment, they heard her giggle, no longer sick. She waved her little arms in the air as she looked up at the mobile over her cradle and babbled as the queen hugged her close. Their little princess filled their hearts with so much joy. In celebration, the king and queen launched a lantern into the air and let it float up into the sky.

For that one moment, everything was perfect. But, it soon ended. Late that night, Hawkmoth snuck into the castle and found the baby sleeping in her cradle in her parents bedroom. During his journey to find the earrings, he found an incantation that was supposed to activate their power.

"_Earrings, gleam and glow,  
Be a lucky charm_

_Make the clock reverse  
Return all that was before_

_That was before..."_

The child began to glow as he sang. He felt drawn to her glow. He touched her hair, instantly becoming young. He tried to take the earrings off of her, but they wouldn't come off! They were magically stuck to her and as long as she was alive, he couldn't take the earrings off.

Desperate for the earrings and to stay young forever, Hawkmoth stole the baby and vanished!

The king and queen woke up in time when they heard their baby cry to see them disappear.

"My baby!" Sabine cried.

"Guards! Guards! My child! Someone help! Stop him!" Tom cried.

For many days and nights, the kingdom searched, but could not find the baby princess or the kidnapper.

Deep within the forest stood a tower where Hawkmoth raised the princess named Marinette, never knowing who she or Hawkmoth truly were. He raised her to believe he was her father and warned her to never leave her tower.

"Why can't I go outside?" she would often ask.

"The world is a dark and dangerous place, filled with cruel and horrible people. You must stay here where it's safe," he told her, "Do you understand, my ladybug?"

"Yes, Papa," she answered.

But the tower walls couldn't hide everything. Every year on her birthday, the entire kingdom would send up thousands of floating lanterns high up in the sky. Marinette would sneak past Hawkmoth's bedroom and go to the window to see the floating lights rise in the sky above the treetops. Everyone sent these lanterns in the hope that these would guild her home and one day, their lost princess would return.

* * *

**14 years later...**

The window shutters quickly opened and closed as a little ladybug humanoid called a kwami flew out and ran into some potted flowers. She held her breath and stayed quiet when the shutters flew open by Marinette. She scanned the window sill while sliding a lock of her 50 foot foot midnight hair behind her ear as she looked for her friend.

"Hmm. Well I guess Tikki isn't out here," Marinette called out innocently and walked away.

Tikki the kwami checked to make sure she was gone and let out a sigh of relief, unaware of the lock of hair slowly being lowered down until it was too late. Tikki felt something around her little leg and was pulled upside down.

"Gotcha!" Marinette cheered from her window. She had known Tikki was there the whole time. She just loved the element of surprise.

"Haha! You win again, Marinette! You're too good at this game," Tikki said.

"Thanks," Marinette said, lowering her best and only friend down, "Want to play again?"

"As much fun as that sounds, I thought we could do something else," Tikki suggested.

"Ok. What do you want to do?"

"Let's go outside! It's beautiful today!"

"Oh no. I like it in here and so do you."

"But, Marinette! Don't you want to explore something new?"

"Come on, Tikki. It's not that bad in here."

Marinette scooped her up and went back inside to start her day. There was a lot to do before Papa came home.

It was 7:00 AM, so they began to sweep and mop the floors. After was washing the dishes, polishing the silverware, and dust the shelves. When all the chores were done, it was only 8:00 AM.

So, she would start reading her books. When that was done, she would add a few new paintings to her gallery. Then play the guitar, knit, and cook some breakfast. After, they would do some puzzles, darts, baking a snack, paper-mache, pottery, ballet, chess, pottery, ventriloquy, candle making, stretch, climb, sketch, sew a new dress for Tikki, re-read her books, paint the walls some more (if she could find some room), and then brush her very, very, very long hair. She did all this in the exact same space every single day.

When exactly would her life begin?

Maybe tomorrow? That would be when the floating lights appear.

suddenly feeling inspired, Marinette raced to grab her paints and went to paint on an empty spot above the fireplace as an idea came to her.

"Do you think Papa will let me go this year?" she asked Tikki, "I know I'm not allowed outside, but I am older now!"

"Only one way to find out. Ask him," Tikki answered.

Marinette nodded her head and marveled at her new mural. It was of her sitting outside, watching the floating lights with Tikki.

* * *

**Confusing? I know. It starts off very slow and probably confusing, but it does get better. And if you noticed, I used some of the song lyrics as part of the story. I do that sometimes for fun. Helps the story move along and helps tell it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Miraculous or Tangled. I wish I was the talented!**

* * *

A thief with blonde hair and emerald green eyes named Cat Noir used his staff to lift himself onto the roof of the castle with his own kwami, a black cat humanoid named Plagg, following him. He was just about to do the job they were hired to do when he stopped to admire the view. He could see the entire kingdom from up there!

"Wow!" he gasped, "I could get use to a view like this."

"Cat, come on!" Plagg hurried.

"Hold on...yep. I'm use to it. Plagg, I want a castle," Cat Noir told him.

"Yeah, and I want the worlds largest wheel of Camembert cheese. But if we do this job, you can buy your own castle. And I can have my cheese," the kwami reminded.

Their job was to steal the crown of the long lost princess and sell it to their employer, Chloe Bourgeois. She had seen the crown and demanded to have it like the spoiled little rich girl she was. But when the king and queen told her no, she hired Cat Noir and Plagg to steal it for her. Being rich, Chloe would pay them for the job and pay extra for the crown in perfect condition.

Slowly and quietly, Plagg took hold of a long rope and floated down through a hole in the roof that was just above the throne room. In the very center was the crown. It sat on a pillow on a pedestal surrounded by guards. When Plagg reached the crown, he tied the end of the rope around it.

"Ahchoo!" a guard sneezed.

"Hay fever? That's a killer," Plagg said.

"yeah. Don't get me started," the guard told him. He returned to focus on his job until he realized what was happening. Turning around, he saw Plagg flying up with the crown! Right away, every guard in the kingdom was alerted of what was happening.

'Oh man!' the guard thought, 'The king and queen are going to kill me!'

"We did it, kid!" Plagg cheered.

Cat quickly put the crown in his satchel and began their escape. Using his staff, Cat jumped from roof to roof until landing on the cobblestone streets and running over the bridge out of the kingdom and from the guards. Their best bet of escape was the forest.

Cat couldn't wait to get paid! He and Plagg were going to live like kings!

"Oh the things we've seen and done and it's only eight in the morning!" he cheered, "Plagg, this is a very big day!"

* * *

"This is a very big day, Tikki," Marinette said while putting her paints away, "I'm finally going to do oit! I'm going to ask him."

Marinette was finally working up the courage to ask her father if he could take her outside. Tomorrow was a very special day after all and she felt she was ready. Now, hopefully, he felt she was ready too.

"Marinette!" she heard Hawkmoth call, "Let down your hair."

"It's time," she cheered.

"You can do this, Marinette," Tikki encouraged, "Just do what we practiced: stand tall, sound confident, be calm, and ask. Show him you're grown up."

"I know. I know. Don't worry. I got this," Marinette assured and hid her behind her paintings curtain, "Now come on. Don't let him see you."

Because Tikki was part of the forbidden outside world, Hawkmoth would be very angry if he found Marinette with her and demand she get rid of the little kwami. Since Tikki is her best and only friend, that was a risk Marinette couldn't afford to take.

"Marinette, I'm waiting," he called again.

"Coming, Papa," she called back and slipped a handful of her long hair through a pulley wheel and down to her father. Hawkmoth wrapped it around his gloved hand and made a foothold before giving it a tug to let her know he was ready. She pulled him up the 40 foot tower until he reached the window/door.

"Hi. Welcome home, Papa," she greeted him.

"Oh Marinette. How you manage to do that every single day without fail! It looks terribly exhausting, darling," he commended her.

"Oh, it's nothing," she told him.

Wow! A genuine compliment from her father! Those were very rare!

"Then I don't know why it takes so long," he joked until he saw her frown, "I'm only teasing."

And there it was. She should've seen it coming. Whenever he complimented her, it always had a joke of belittlement at the end. He was always teasing her, so it shouldn't be taken seriously. But Marinette couldn't stop feeling like he wasn't teasing her sometimes.

While Hawkmoth removed his cloak, Marinette continued to try to talk to him. The only thing he didn't remove from his outing was his mask, He never took it off except in his room behind his locked door. Not even Marinette had seen his true face.

Just as she was about to ask, he interrupted her.

"Marinette, look in the mirror. Do you know what I see?" he asled as he held her by his side, "I see a tall, dark, magnificent, mysterious being."

Marinette smiled. She wasn't done growing, but she was pretty tall. And her dark hair did make her look magnificent and mysterious. Did he finally see how much she had grown up?"

"Oh look. You're here too," he laughed. She fell for it every time. "It was a joke, Marinette. Stop taking everything so serious.

"Ok," she said, pushing it away, "So, Papa, I was thinking tomorrow-"

"Ladybug," he interrupted using his pet name for her, "Papa's feeling a little run down. Would you sing for me, my dear? Then we'll talk." He felt himself getting wrinkles and he could've sworn he saw some grey hairs last night before he went to bed. He needed a rejuvenation session right now.

"Oh! Yes! Of course! One moment, Papa!" she told him and got to work to get everything set up.

She got out his comfy chair that he sat in, then her little stool and brush. She gave Hawkmoth the brush and her hair as soon as he sat down. Whenever Hawkmoth was feeling worn out or old, he would sit down and brush her hair while she sang the incantation that activated the power of her earrings to make him young again. Since she was in a hurry to talk to him, Marinette sang the song very quickly.

"Earringsgleamandglow. Betheluckycharm. Maketheclockreverse. Returnallthatwasbefore."

"Wait, wait!" Hawkmoth yelled. She was going too fast! He couldn't brush quickly enough as she and her hair started to glow. And brushing her hair was supposed to be the best way for the power to flow easily!

"Lightwashasbeendark. Pleasedonotignore. Savewhathasbeenlost. Returnallthatwasbefore."

She surged with healing power.

Hawkmoth was able to absorb it and felt younger already, but she really needed to slow down.

"Marinette-"

"So Papa, earlier I said tomorrow is a very big day, and you didn't reply, so I'm just going to tell you. It's my birthday!" she cheered.

"No, no, no. Can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was last year," he said. Honestly, Hawkmoth forgot about her birthday.

"That's the thing about birthdays. They're kind of an annual thing," she said and turned serious, "Father, I'm turning 14 tomorrow and what I want for this birthday...actually, what I really wanted for every birthday-"

"Marinette, please. Stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Just speak up because it is very annoying," he scolded, then smiled, "I'm just teasing, darling. You know I love you so much."

He got up to unpack his basket of supplies he got while outside. Marinette looked up to see Tikki peeking out and encouraging her to ask. It was now or never.

She took a deep breath and blurted out "I want to see the floating lights!"

"What?" Hawkmoth asked.

"Well, I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights," she explained, showing him her newest painting of her dream.

"Oh. You mean the stars."

"That's the thing!" Marinette lassoed her hair up to a little window on the ceiling and pulled to show a star chart painted all over the ceiling to show her father what she was about to explain. "I've charted stars and they're always constant, but these. These only appear on my birthday, Papa. Only my birthday. And I can't help but feel like they're meant for me. I need to see them, Father. And not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

She really hoped her message got across. She wanted this more than anything else in the world!

"You want to go outside?" Hawkmoth asked, shutting the window door, "Oh, why my dear Marinette! Look at you, as fragile as a butterfly. Still a little caterpillar, not quite there. You know why we stay up here in this tower."

"I know, but-"

"That's right! To keep you safe and sound. But I always knew this day was coming. Knew that soon, you'd want to leave the nest. Soon, but not yet."

"But-"

"Shh. Trust me, dear. After all, Father knows best."

Apparently, Marinette needed a reminder of the dangers of the outside world. To stimulate the mood, he drew all the curtains closed so the room would be dark and scary. Every candle she lit, he would snuff out.

Father knew best, and one way or another, something would go wrong. There was so much to worry about. He used his dark powers to summon akumas to show her ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, the plague, and other diseases, cannibals, snakes, large bugs, people with point teeth, and so much more. But Father was right there to protect her.

"Take it from me," he told her, "You won't survive out there on your own."

Marinette was sloppy, under dressed with no shoes on, immature, clumsy, gullible, naive, ditzy, a bit vague, and, in his opinion, getting kind of chubby. They would eat her up alive. But Papa understood and would help her. He only had one request.

"Marinette?" he asked while hugging her.

"Yes?" she replied. She pulled away to look at him with hope.

"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again," he warned.

"Yes, Papa," she sighed.

"Oh. I love you very much, dear."

"I love you more."

"I love you most," and gave her a kiss on her head, "Don't forget it or you'll regret it. Father knows best."

He pulled away from her and grabbed his cloak and basket again before Marinette lowered him down.

"Good-bye, I'll see you soon, my ladybug," he bid.

"And I'll be here...waiting," she sighed. At least she asked. But it wasn't the answer she was hoping for. 'Maybe I really am too weak to go outside.'

* * *

The guards were still after Cat and Plagg, but when the two thieves couldn't hear anymore footsteps, they stopped to take a break.

On a tree, Cat saw a wanted poster of him and Plagg.

"Oh no," he gasped, "Plagg, we have a problem."

Plagg came over and saw the poster.

"No, no, no! This is bad! This is very, very bad!" Plagg cried, "My head is not that big! They always do this! Why can't they ever get me right?"

"Come on. It's not that bad," Cat lied.

"I appreciate you lying to make me feel better, kid, but look at me! They make me look like an apple on a stick with arms! Meanwhile, you look like a model."

"You know, being a model was one of my career plans as a kid."

Suddenly, shouting and running could be heard as the castle guards came after them again. Two guards, Captain Nino and Commander Alya, stood at the front.

"Retrieve that satchel at all coasts!" Nino ordered, "You two take the west side. You two take the east. The rest of you will check the south. Commander Alya, you're with me."

"Yes, sir!" Alya saluted, "You heard him! Move out!"

Cat and Plagg watched the whole thing. They needed to get through the forest to find the cave Chloe and her friend, Sabrina, were hiding in without getting caught. But for now, they had to find a place to lay low for awhile. They ran, careful not to be spotted until Alya and Nino saw them.

"You!" they growled.

"Oh hey, guys. Nino, good to see you, buddy," Cat greeted.

"You're ours, Noir!" he growled and the two gave chase to the thieves.

While running, the satchel got caught in a low tree branch. Cat had to stop and take off the satchel to remove it from the branch, but Nino and Alya quickly got a hold of it.

Plagg helped Cat as a tug of war broke out over the contents of the satchel when it slipped away from everyone's grasp, flew through the air, and landed on a branch of a tree growing out of the side of a cliff. Everyone stared at it for a second and then climbed over each other to get that satchel. Cat and Plagg climbed under the tree. Alya and Nino walked on top of it with their arms stretched out for balance.

It was the thieves who got the satchel back. Their victory was short lived as they heard a **SNAP**! The tree began to break because of their weight and fell down the cliff! A boulder separated the tree and the two duos from each other.

Nino and Alya rolled down a hill and into a clearing.

"Ow. Ouch. Oh I'll be feeling that tomorrow," they groaned.

"Oh, uh, a-are you ok, Alya?" Nino asked.

"I'll live. A few bumps, but nothing big. You?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm good," he answered.

They looked at each other, Nino couldn't help but noticing the way the sun made her auburn hair glow like fire light. When they realized what they were doing, they looked away and got up.

"Yeah! So, um, Cat Noir and Plagg couldn't have gotten far," Nino said, "I say we go the way we last saw them fall and go from there."

"Yes, sir," Alya saluted.

They walked past a giant boulder covered in greenery, unaware of Cat Noir and Plagg hiding behind a rock in front of it. When the coast was clear, they got up from their hiding place.

"Phew! That was a close one," Plagg said.

"You got that right," Cat agreed. He went to lean against the green covered boulder until he nearly tripped. "What the?!"

"What's up, kid?" the kwami asked.

"There's no rock behind here."

Cat parted the leafy curtain to reveal a cave. This was the perfect place to hid from the guards! They went in and backed deeper as they saw an opening in the back. They found themselves outside in some sort of secret cove. What really got them was a 40 foot tower standing right in the middle of it.


	4. Chapter 4

In another part of the forest, two girls sat in a dark cave as they waited for the thieves they had hired to bring them the crown.

"What is taking them so long?" Chloe, the snooty blonde, complained.

"I'm sure they'll be here any moment now," Sabrina, her assistant/friend, tried to assure her.

"They better! Or else I'll be docking their pay!" she warned.

Suddenly, they heard and saw something come in. This had to be them.

"Well it's about time! We've been waiting for, like, ever! You better have the crown or else you can forget our deal," she yelled.

That wasn't Cat Noir and Plagg that came in. It was two castle guards. And Chloe had just confessed everything to them.

* * *

Cat and Plagg thought the tower was the perfect place for them to hide. As soon as everything calmed down, they would find Chloe and Sabrina to deliver the crown.

Using his baton, he pressed a button that extended him higher into the air while Plagg sat on the satchel. Finally, they made it to the window. They entered the tower and shut the window shutters before looking at the crown.

"Phew," Cat sighed, "Alone at least."

"Worlds largest Camembert, here I come!" Plagg cheered.

The last thing the two remembered was feeling something hard hit the back their necks before passing out on the floor.

Marinette stood behind them with her yo-yo in hand. She had read all about pressure points and, if hit in the right spot, could knock someone out. She quickly ran behind one one of her mannequins and peeked out from behind. She had never seen another person besides her father before. And this boy had a swami! Tikki knew this kwami.

"Marinettem be very careful of that kwami!" she warned, "He's selfish and no good and only cares about himself."

"Who's that boy with him?" Marinette asked.

"I don't know. Plagg and I were separated a very long time ago," Tikki answered.

Cautiously, Marinette moved closer to the boy, keeping what Papa said in mind about people. Tikki moved the boy's head to give Marinette a better view of him. Everything seemed normal. But Papa said something about people with pointy teeth. So, she used her yo-yo to grab hold of his baton and extended it over to his mouth to raise his lips a little. He didn't have pointy teeth. He had regular normal-looking teeth. In fact, they looked perfect and pearly white. Now that Marinette got a better view of him, she couldn't help but feel something. He looked so handsome. He didn't seem dangerous at all.

Suddenly, his eyes opened and in a moment of panic, she knocked him out with her yo-yo again. Now all she had to do was hide him and his kwami. If Papa found out about this, who knew what he'd do!

Quickly, she stuffed them in her closet and placed a chair in front of it to prevent them from falling out.

"Ok! Ok! I've got a person in my closet. I've got a person in my closet," she told herself and suddenly saw herself in the mirror as it dawned on her of what was happening, "I've got a person in my closet! Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, Papa? Well, tell that to my yo-yo here."

Feeling confident, she swung her yo-yo around, but accidentally hit the side of her head.

Something behind her sparkled in the mirror from the satchel the boy had. Curious, Marinette took it out to see what it was.

"What is this thing?" she asked.

"Oh! I know! It's called a crown!" Tikki said.

It was very sparkly. Instead of telling her what it was used for, Tikki let Marinette figure it out since she had never seen or knew what a crown was.

First, Marinette thought it was an over sized bracelet, but Tikki shook her head no.

Next, she thought it was some sort of magnifier, but again, Tikki shook her head.

Marinette thought about it before looking at herself in the mirror again. Tentatively, she placed the crown on top of her head and looked at herself. What she saw was breathtaking. It almost felt right somehow. Even Tikki was speechless. Marinette looked like a princess.

They stood staring at her reflection for a moment before they heard "Marinette!"

It was Papa! He had come home!

"Let down your hair!" he called.

"One moment, Papa!" she called back. Marinette scrambled with putting the crown back in the satchel and hiding it in a pot while Tikki found a hiding spot before Marinette got to work bringing her father up.

"I have a big surprise!" he told her.

"Uh, I do too," she said.

"Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger," he challenged.

"I seriously doubt it," she mumbled.

Hawkmoth appeared in the entrance and revealed his surprise.

"I found parsnips. I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner. Your favorite. Surprise!"

As much as Marinette loved this surprise, it was nothing compared to what she was about to show him. This was her moment to prove she was ready to go outside and could handle it. All she had to do was show him what was inside her closet.


	5. Chapter 5

Taking a deep breath, she began.

"Well, Papa, there's something I want to tell you-"

"Oh Marinette, you know I hate leaving you after a fight, Especially when I've done nothing wrong," Hawkmoth told her. He always did this, guilting her to make it seem like it was her fault and he was victim whenever she wanted to do something he disagreed with. Marinette usually consented to this guilt, but she was determined to get her point across.

"Ok. I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier-"

"I hope you're not still talking about the stars," he said.

"Floating lights. And yes. I am leading up to that-"

"Because I really thought we dropped the issue, dear." He was getting tired and annoyed of her wanting to go outside.

"No, Papa, I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there-"

"Oh darling, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

"But if you just-"

"Marinette, we're done talking about this."

"But trust me!"

"Marinette."

"I know what I'm doing!"

She knew she could convince him if he just listened to her. Her hand was on the closet door. If he could just let her plead her case, she could convince him she was ready to leave the tower!

"Marinette!" he warned.

"Oh, come on," she tried.

"Enough with the lights, Marinette!" he yelled, "You are never leaving this tower **EVER**!"

His voice echoed throughout the tower, followed by silence. She knew not to push him more when he was like this.

"Great," Hawkmoth sighed as he slumped into a chair, "Now I'm the bad guy."

Marinette removed her hand from the handle and looked up at her dream mural. She felt guilty for making Papa upset and decided to drop it.

"All I was going to say, Papa, is that...I know what I want for my birthday now," she told him, moving in front of her closet.

"And what is that?" he asked, still annoyed.

"New fabric. From the white silk you once brought me." It was true. Next to painting, designing and making clothes was her favorite thing to do. Because of this, she was running low on white fabric.

"Well that is a very long trip, Marinette. Almost 3 days time."

"I just thought it was better than the...the stars."

Hawkmoth thought about it for a moment. It did seem she finally dropped it. And as much as he didn't want to, it was her birthday. If it meant she would stop asking him about going outside, then he would do it.

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" he asked.

"I know I'm safe as long as I'm in the tower," she answered as she hugged him.

While he got his cloak on, Marinette packed some food and water for his long journey. Before he left, she sang to him to give him strength.

"I'll be back in 3 days time," he told her, "I love you very much, dear."

"I love you more," she said.

"I love you most."

She lowered him down on to the ground outside and waved to him.

As soon as he was gone, Marinette quickly got to work. Like she was actually going to give up her dream! Never! If Papa wouldn't take her, then someone else would. Luckily, that someone was in her closet.

Grabbing her yo-yo, Marinette removed the chair and stood behind it, throwing her hair like a rope at the handle to open the closet door. The boy and his kwami fell face first onto the floor. No doubt they would try to get away when they woke up, so she tied them up to the chair using her hair with the kwami tied to his arm. The next step was waking them up. Because she was nervous meeting other people that weren't her father, Marinette sat in one of the rafters in the shadows while pulling the chair into the light.

Now it was time to wake them up.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette threw her yo-yo at them.

Cat and Plagg immediately woke up with a headache.

"Ow! My head! What happened?" Plagg groaned.

"I don't know. Wait. Is this...hair?" Cat asked.

"Struggling... struggling is pointless," came Marinette's voice.

The two couldn't see her clearly. All they saw was a figure jumping from the rafters and a few feet from them.

"I know why you're here," she told them, "and I'm not afraid of you."

"What?" Cat asked. He was so confused.

Marinette stepped forward into the light so they could see her better. She stood before them, trying to act brave with her yo-yo poised to attack if need be.

"Who are you? And how did you find me?" she asked.

Neither Cat nor Plagg could speak. They were in shock. So, she asked again, demanding answers.

Finally, the shock wore off and the boy spoke first.

"We know not who you are, nor how we came to find you, but may I just say...hey. How you doing?" he greeted, acting suave, "The name's Cat Noir."

"And I'm his best buddy, Plagg," the kwami introduced, "I'm usually the brains behind our little operations."

"No, you're not," Tikki said, appearing next to Marinette, "You usually sit back and make others do all the work."

"Tikki! Hey! How's it going, sugar cube?" Plagg greeted. He didn't know his old friend would be there.

"Don't call me sugar cube," she told him.

"Wait. You know her?" Cat asked.

"Oh yeah! Tikki and I go way back. We use to work together, but went our separate ways."

"You got distracted by cheese and left me to search for the Miraculous holders myself!" Tikki pointed out.

"Oh right. Heh heh. Forgot that little detail."


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette cleared her throat and the interrogation proceeded.

"Who else knows my location, Cat Noir?" she wanted to know.

"Look, Bug-a-boo-"

"Marinette," she coolly corrected him.

"Bless you. Here's the thing: we were in a situation, running through the forest when we came across your tower," he explained and suddenly realized he didn't have his satchel, "and-oh no! Where is my satchel?"

"I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it," she told him.

After a second, Cat pointed to a nearby pot where he knew she hid it. With the hiding spot compromised, Marinette knocked them out again. When it was in a new location, she woke them up again with her yo-yo.

"Ow!" he cried, "Would you stop that!"

"This girl is nuts!" Plagg cried.

"Biw it's hidden where you'll never find it," Marinette said.

Cat and Plagg looked around for some sort of clue, any clue, to where the satchel was, but couldn't find it!

With no further distractions, Marinette could go on to find out why these two were there.

"Now then, what do you want with my hair? To cut it? Sell it? Or do you want my earrings?" she accused.

"What? No! Listen, the only thing we want to do with your hair is to get out of it! Literally!" Cat told her.

"Wait. You don't want my hair? Or my earrings?" she asked.

"Why on earth would I want your hair or earrings? We were being chased, saw a tower, we came in, end of story," he told her.

Marinette was very confused. Papa told her everyone knew about her power, but this boy seemed to genuinely not understand what was going on. She needed to talk to Tikki about this privately.

"Well? What do you think, Tikki?" Marinette asked quietly.

"I don't know. If it was just the boy, I'd say give him a chance," Tikki whispered, "But because Plagg is here, don't take the chance."

"But what choice so we have? He's the only one who could take us. Papa will be gone for 3 days and this could be my only chance to go outside and see the lights. You know how he is. If we let these two go, we will never have another opportunity like this again. I can't spend another birthday in this tower, Tikki."

Marinette did have a point. Maybe they should do this. Like she said, her father wouldn't be back for 3 days. They could leave today, see the lights tomorrow night, and should be back the next morning if they left as soon as it was over before Hawkmoth returned. This could actually work! Now all they had to do was convince double trouble to cooperate.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette turned back to the two and turned the chair for them to see her mural.

"Alright, Cat Noir and Plagg, I'm prepared to offer you a deal," she told them.

"A deal?" they asked.

"Yes. A deal. Do you know what these are?" she asked, pointing to the floating lights in her painting.

"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" Cat said.

Lanterns? She knew they weren't stars! They were lanterns!

She continued to tell them her deal: Cat Noir and Plagg were to act as her guilds and take her to see these lanterns tomorrow night. When it was over, they would return her home safely and then, and only then, would she return his satchel to them. That was her deal. She felt very proud if herself for coming up with something that would benefit everyone.

But Cat would have to decline. Because of the crimes he and his kwami had committed, the kingdom was not the best place for them to be in.

Marinette wouldn't give up though. Something brought them to her. Fate or destiny (or, in Cat's opinion, royal guards).

"I may not know you, but I have decided to trust you," she said.

"A horrible decision, actually," Cat said.

"But trust me when I say this." She tilted his chair close to her and looked him in the eyes to show she meant business. "You can tare this tower down brick by brick, stone by stone, tile by tile, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel."

Despite the fact she was acting threatening, she promised to return the satchel if he brought her home after the lanterns. And when she promised something, she never, ever broke that promise.

Cat still didn't want to take the deal. He just wanted to get rich, There was another method he and Plagg could try. Cat Noir's infamous smolder and Plagg's kitten face. Cat would pout out his lips and Plagg would enlarge his eyes to give them an adorable kitten look. It worked every time on the ladies. But to their surprise, Marinette didn't fall for it. In fact, she seemed confused. Feeling defeated, they agreed to take her and Tikki to the lanterns.

Marinette couldn't believe it!

She was going to leave her tower!

She quickly untied them and got ready, but he assured her that if they got hungry, he would find them a place to eat. But just to be on the safe side, Marinette would bring her yo-yo.

Cat began to climb down the tower with some arrows he had.

"Are you sure about this?" Plagg asked, "She appears a little cuckoo in the head. And I get the feeling Tikki is still mad at me."

"Look, whatever grudge she has on you, that's something you two need to work out because unless you don't want your giant cheese wheel, we don't have a choice," Cat told him, "Are you coming, Bug-a-boo?"

Marinette stood at her window and looked down. The world was so close and she was half way to it.

"I don't know. I'm having second thoughts about this," she said.

"You can do this, Marinette. Just take a deep breath and go for it," she encouraged.

Tikki was right. Taking a deep breath, Marinette threw her long hair out the window and slid down, but quickly stopped. The ground was so close to her. This would be the first time in her life she touched grass. She slowly lowered her feet and felt it all under her.


	7. Chapter 7

**I probably should've mentioned when I first started this story that there would be a lot of dialogue. Hope that is ok with some of you! Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous or Tangled.**

* * *

She had dreamed of this moment for so long! The smell of the grass and dirt, the feel of the summer breeze on her face, the coolness of the stream on her feet. She felt completely free! The possibilities for her were endless!

But the cove she was in right then was only a small pocket of the world she wanted to explore. Beyond the cave she had seen her father go through so many times was the real big world. Once she went through it, she could go running, racing, dancing, chasing, leaping, bounding, and so many other things!

The moment she ran into the forest, that was when her life could finally begin!

"I can't believe it! I did it!" she cheered.

"You did it!" Tikki cheered too.

"I'm outside!"

"You're outside!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm outside."

It dawned on her she was no longer inside the safety of her tower. But it was worth it because now she could experience everything she always dreamed of! But while exploring the nearby caves, meadows, rolling down hills, and so on, she fought herself over how Hawkmoth would feel. Most likely furious.

But that was ok. He would never find out. After all, what he didn't know wouldn't kill him.

But if he ever did find out, this would kill him!

This was so fun though!

But she felt like a horrible daughter for betraying her fathers trust. She was going back.

Nope! She was never going back!

Yes, she was! She felt like a despicable human being for doing this.

But one thing was for sure: this was incredible!

"WOOHOO!" she cheered as she swung around a tree from her hair, "Best! Day! EVER!"

5 minutes later, Marinette was sobbing in her hands.

Cat was getting annoyed. He needed to figure out a way to get that satchel and crown back now. Luckily, he had an idea.

"You know, I can't help but notice you seem at war with yourself," he said.

"Really?" Marinette sniffled.

"Oh yeah, but hey, I get it: over protective father, forbidden road trip. This is some serious stuff," he told her, "But let me put your mind at ease. This is all part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good. Healthy even!"

"You think?" she asked. She was feeling better about this whole thing.

Cat gave Plagg a secret wink to let him in on the plan and the kwami joined right in.

"He knows. As a kwami, I've been around for thousands of years."

"And made lots of mistakes," Tikki coughed.

"So I can tell you right now that the life you were living was not good for you," Plagg continued while ignoring Tikki's comment, "Did your father deserve this? Probably not. Will this break his heart and crush his soul? Oh yeah. Big time. But ya gotta do it."

Marinette didn't consider any of this. He would be angry, yes, but she didn't even think of how it would really effect him.

Plagg gave a high five to Cat behind his back. Now for the finishing touch. Cat turned his smile into a sad frown.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really want to help you, but I'm letting you out of the deal," he faked sighed.

"What?" she gasped.

"I just can't stand to see you like this and don't want to be the cause of making your father angry with you. So, let's get you and Tikki back home, you give me back my satchel, your father-daughter relationship is safe, and we part ways as unlikely friends."

"No way! I am going to see those lights!" Marinette exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me! Come on, girl!" Plagg complained.

"Yeah! What will it take to give me back my satchel!" Cat cried.

"How about holding up your end of the deal for starters," Tikki suggested.

Suddenly, some bushes close by started rustling, making Marinette jump on Cat's back.

"Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?" she cried.

They were coming for her power! They were going to take her and lock her away forever and she would never see the lights or her papa ever again! But, to her embarrassment, it was actually a bunny.

Seeing there was no real danger, Marinette climbed off of Cat's back.

"Oops. Sorry. I guess I'm just a little nervous," she apologized.

Cat and Plagg got another idea. They gave each other a mischievous smiles.

"Maybe we should start with something low key for now. Are you hungry, sweetie?" Plagg asked, "Because Cat and I know a great place for lunch. Right, Cat?"

"Oh yeah. It's small and quiet and will help you get use to people," Cat agreed, "The kingdom can get pretty busy during the lantern celebration and we'd hate to see you get overwhelmed when you're trying to have fun. This place has a small crowd, so it should be great practice ."

All this excitement did make Marinette a little hungry. And Cat did seem to have a point.

"Yeah. Sounds good!" Marinette exclaimed.

He took her hand and led her to their destination. But Tikki didn't trust those two. What were they up to?


	8. Chapter 8

**As I type this chapter, my kitten my mother and I rescued a few weeks ago is snuggled up with his paws on my arms. Why and how are kittens so cute?**

* * *

Somewhere else in the forest, Nino and Alya were still searching for Cat and Plagg. Their goal was to capture them before the lantern celebration tomorrow night because they did not want to miss it.

They saw a wanted poster of the two thieves and just looking at it made them so mad, Alya ripped it to pieces.

"Ugh! I can't stand those two! They think they're so cool with their smiles and great hair! Why is it so hard to catch them?!" Alya fumed, "I swear, if I miss the lanterns tomorrow because of them, I will rip them to pieces like that poster!"

"Hey. Don't worry. We'll find them and have them locked up before it starts. Who knows. Maybe this will be the year the princess will return," Nino encouraged, "And uh, speaking of lanterns, I was wondering, if you're not doing anything tomorrow night, if you wanted to-"

A twig snap nearby made him stop talking. He put a finger to Alya's lips to quiet her and motioned her over to some bushes to hide. They heard footsteps getting closer and closer.

When whoever it was got close enough, the two jumped out with their swords pointed.

"Cat Noir and Plagg, you are under arrest!" Nino claimed.

It wasn't Cat Noir and Plagg.

It was Hawkmoth. The two had made him flinch for a moment, but quickly recovered when he saw it was them.

"Oh. Sorry about that, dude. We didn't mean to scare you," Nino apologized.

"Oh. It's just some palace guards," Hawkmoth said, but suddenly grew worried, "Where's the rest of your team?"

Guards never separated far from each other, not even in the fact these two were all the way out here by themselves scared Hawkmoth.

"Marinette!" he gasped.

He dropped his basket and raced to the tower.

"What's with him?" Alya wondered.

If the rest of the guards found the secret passage to the tower, they would find Marinette and everything would be ruined! He had to get to the tower quickly.

There were no more guards around, but he wouldn't feel better until he saw Marinette where he left her.

As soon as he got home, he called to her as calmly as he could, despite the situation.

"Marinette, let down your hair!"

Nothing.

"Marinette?" he called again.

Still nothing. Now his worry was increasing. He ran to the other side of the tower and started ripping stones out to reveal a secret staircase. These hadn't been used since Marinette was a little girl and didn't have long enough hair to pull him up. The stairs led up to a secret door under one of the stone tiles in the kitchen area.

"Marinette?" he called, "Marinette! MARINETTE!"

All over he searched. He checked her bed, her favorite hiding spots, even ripping down the curtains to see if she was there. But she wasn't there or anywhere.

"This can't be happening. This cannot be happening!" he cried. Where could she be?

The light from the windows hit something shiny that reflected into his eyes. He looked to see it was coming from underneath one of the bottom steps that led up to Marinette's room.

Curious, Hawkmoth lifted the piece of wood to see a satchel inside. He looked through the bag's contents and took out what appeared to be a crown.

He gasped and dropped it as if its touch burned him.

"Where and how did she get that?" he asked himself.

Hoping there was a clue in the satchel, he looked through to find a crumpled up piece of paper.

It was a wanted poster of a handsome boy named Cat Noir and a little black cat named Plagg.

"Wait. That is not an ordinary cat. Is that a kwami?" he gasped. Nobody had a kwami except Miraculous holders. He had a kwami, but kept it in his Miraculous brooch at all times. Marinette didn't have a kwami to his knowledge. He made sure of that when he hid her. So this boy, this Cat Noir, had a Miraculous! But not just any Miraculous, He had the Miraculous Ring of the black cat with the power of destruction!

Hawkmoth had spent years trying to find it with no success.

"Calm yourself, Hawkmoth. She couldn't know. She is completely clueless after all," he told himself.

But he had to find her before she made it to the kingdom or ran into a guard. If she somehow put the pieces together, she would find out she is actually a princess and leave! He couldn't let that happen!

Running to his room, Hawkmoth pulled open a drawer and took out a dagger.

One way or another, he would get Marinette back and the Ring of Destruction.

* * *

**And I'll stop here. What started out as a snuggly kitten turned into me telling him to stop attacking my hand, moving his head off the keyboard, and telling him to stop biting my laptop. I can't wait to introduce you all to the thugs in the pub. I made it a bit more Miraculous.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This was my favorite part to write! It's the pub thugs scene, but there are some different familiar faces. Also, instead of The Snuggly Duckling, it's called The Miracle Box.**

* * *

Meanwhile, Cat Noir and Plagg led Marinette and Tikki to a little pub restaurant called The Miracle Box right there in the forest. Marinette liked it and Tikki seemed to approve.

'Has Plagg really changed after all these years? Do these two really have hearts?' Tikki wondered.

It really did seem like the perfect place for Marinette. Not too busy or loud or big. It was small and quaint.

"Waiter, your finest table please!" Cat called when they entered the restaurant.

That was when Marinette and Tikki gasped. The inside was so dark and dirty! All around them were people in bright/dark sinister people!

One girl looked like someone Papa use to tell her about called Stormy Weather! Another looked like Dark Owl. Was that really Mr. Pigeon?

All of these people were once normal until evil corrupted their hearts! At least that was what Hawkmoth told her about. Marinette always thought they were just stories to scare her when they were real! And they were even scarier than she ever imagined!

Tikki knew it! She knew they were up to something! This was just a plan to get out of the deal!

"Plagg! What is wrong with you?! What were you thinking?!" she yelled.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Plagg innocently asked, "We said we were bringing her to lunch. And here we are. I don't see the problem."

"You know exactly what the problem is! This place is disgusting and dangerous for Marinette and you two know she'll be scared and run back to her tower, letting you two leave with the satchel! Can you be anymore selfish?!"

"Hey! If the girl can't handle this place, that's her problem."

Marinette was very close to having a heart attack! So many ruffians and thugs eyeing her! When someone held her hair, she quickly ran away from the person with purple hair, a blue and black bodysuit, and a headset with a giant camera over his left eye.

"That's a lot of hair," he said.

"She's growing it out. Hey, Pixelator. Is that a new picture of your latest victim? Bug-a-boo, come check this out!" Cat called, "Pixelator here snaps pictures of people and traps them inside his camera's memory!"

But when he turned around, he saw the color completely drain from her body. Even her hair seemed less shiny.

Perfect.

Faking his most sincere face and voice, Cat strolled over to her.

"Hey, Bug-a-boo. You don't look so good. Maybe we should get you home," he said and began escorting her to the door, "At least we can say we tried. But it's obvious you can't handle this place, which means there is no possible way you can handle the kingdom."

Maybe Cat was right. This was too much for her to handle. If these people from Hawkmoth's stories were real, who knew what else was true.

Just as they were about to leave. someone slammed the door and a man in purple and green clothes with a matching top hat Marinette guessed was Simon Says had a poster where he slammed the door.

"Is this you and your kitty cat?" he asked.

Cat moved one of his gloved finger over to see his picture was still perfect, but Plagg looked like an actual stick drawing.

"Are you kidding me?! Now they are doing it on purpose because that is just mean!" Plagg cried.

Everyone in the tower went after Cat and Plagg, sending one person out to get the guards. They all fought over who would turn the two over and get the reward money, using their powers over one another in order to get to them.

Marinette had to stop this before she lost her guilds!

Looking around, she used one of the powers the earrings gave her to help her figure out what to do. A hose from the sink seemed to glow and so did the crowd as she got an idea.

She ran to the sink behind the bar, turned the sink on full blast, grabbed the hose, raced back to the crowd, and turned the hose on. The water blast soaked everyone but got their attention away from Cat and Plagg.

"That is enough!" she yelled as Tikki turned off the water, "Listen. I don't know where I am, but I need them unharmed and alive to take me to see the lanterns because I have been dreaming of them my whole life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

"Of course we have! In fact, someone once promised us he could make our dreams come true by giving us these powers," Stormy Weather explained, "You know what we got instead? Twisted minds and darkened hearts! We asked him to return us to normal, but he refused. Said we were supposed to find some ring. None of the rings we found and stole were good enough."

"Now every single one of us is doomed to remain like this forever," Dark Owl said.

Marinette felt so bad. These people weren't evil. They were tricked and turned into what they were. She wanted to help them, but that would reveal her power and she couldn't risk it. So instead, she asked "What were your dreams?"

No one spoke a word. Nobody had ever asked them or spoken out of fear they would be laughed at.

One was brave and spoke up.

"An illustrator."

They all turned to see it was Evillustrator.

"My real named is Nathaniel, but I now go by Evilustrator. Me and Reverser dreamed of teaming up and making comic books," he explained.

Everyone started speaking their dreams, much to Marinette's delight.

Stormy Weather wanted to be a weather girl.

Dark Owl wanted to be a principal.

Glacitor wanted to bring people together with his ice cream.

Zombizou wanted to be a teacher

Simon Says wanted to be a famous hypnotist.

Gamer a famous game creator.

Pixelator a photographer.

And so many others! Some loved to cook, bake, entertain, or find love.

They prompted Cat and Plagg to share their dreams. Everyone had one after all. When he declined, they all threatened to use their powers on him unless he talked. With that little persuasion, they spilled their guts.

He and Plagg dreamed of living on an island with a nice big house full of servants. One room would be the cheese room, filled with every cheese in existence, mostly with Camembert, made by the worlds best cheese artisans. It would be them, their servants, and enormous bags of money.

"I have a dream!" Marinette called.

"Yeah! What is it? Yes! Tell us, dear Marinette!" everyone cheered.

"I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam," she said.

"With me by her side," Tikki added.

"With every passing hour, I'm so glad I left my tower," she cheered, "Like all you lovely folks, I have a dream."

Unbeknownst to anyone, Hawkmoth heard the ruckus and peeked in through the window to see Marinette with all his old akumatized victims. He gasped at the sight of his daughter not just outside her tower, but dancing and singing and making friends with these sorry excuses to evil while actually being happy! After everything he had done for her! He fed her, he clothed her, he educated her, put a roof over her head, and gave her everything she could possibly want and need! And this is how she thanks him? So ungrateful.

Yes, he seemed harsh at times and belittled her constantly, but he did it out of love in hopes of discouraging her of leaving her tower. Apparently, none of that seemed to work.

Everyone at the pub had fallen in love with Marinette. Unlike so many others, she didn't give up on them and listened to their dreams. She didn't laugh or scoff at them. Instead, she smiled and encouraged them.

* * *

**Sorry, guys, but I'm stopping here for the night. My kitten kept me up all night playing like crazy and woke me up early this morning purring loudly in my ear. Nice wake up call, but too early. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. Maybe I'll post three to make up for tonight. We'll see what I feel like.**


	10. Chapter 10

**So sorry I bailed on you guys yesterday! I said I would upload two or three chapters and I did not. Some stuff came up and I didn't have the energy to do it. But everything is better and here is chapter 10! Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or Miraculous.**

* * *

Everything was going great until the person from earlier returned with guards on their way. As soon as they appeared, the four ducked out of sight behind the bar, out of sight. Cat peeked out to see how many there were. That was when he saw Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina with their wrists tied up. Now Cat and Plagg were scared. If the guards didn't get them, it would be Chloe and that would be much worse.

None of the Miracle Box patrons wanted their new friend to miss the lanterns, so while they distracted the guards, Dark Cupid pulled a lever to reveal a secret underground tunnel that led them out and away from the pub.

"Go. Live your dream," Dark Cupid encouraged.

"I will," Cat said. It felt good knowing someone believed in him.

"Your dream stinks. I was talking to her," he said.

Cat sighed. Should have seen that coming. He grabbed a lantern and climbed down first.

"Thanks for everything, Kim," Marinette thanked, using his real name, and kissed his cheek.

As soon as the secret door closed, the main door burst open to reveal Nino and Alya.

"Captain Nino, sir!" all the guards saluted.

"Status report," he ordered.

"There's no sign of Cat Noir or Plagg the kwami. They just disappeared," a guard reported.

A person couldn't just disappear though. Luckily, Alya had a nose for a good mystery as she always carried a magnifying glass around with her to help any investigation. She examined everything until she found something. Nino gave her the floor.

"Soldiers, question. What do you see around you in this pub?" she asked.

"Um tables and chairs?" one guard guessed.

"Villains?" Another guessed.

"Hey! We prefer misunderstood people," Mr. Pigeon corrected.

"Exactly! Now picture this," Alya went on, "This place is a local hangout for criminals or anyone running from the law. ("We beg your pardon?" a one of the pub patrons yelled) But oh no! The law is catching up to them! They are right outside! The only way in and out is the front door, but when the law comes in, their wanted criminal is gone! How could that be?"

Everyone seemed confused, so Alya went on.

"Soldiers, behold! A secret tunnel!" Alya took hold of the lever and pulled to reveal the secret tunnel.

"Whoa! Way to go, Commander!" Nino cheered. He knew there was a reason he had her as his second in command.

"Eh. It was nothing. Just doing my job," she said.

"Rodger, you stay and guard these two. The rest of you, with me," Nino ordered.

All the guards except Rodger followed Captain Nino into the tunnels.

When they were gone, Chloe ordered Sabrina to knock out the guard by headbutting him hard, even though he was Sabrina's father. But Chloe was her best friend, so she did it. This enabled them to cut their bounds and making them free to get revenge on Cat Noir.

After all that, Dark Owl stepped outside to get some air. The moment he did, he sensed a familiar dark presence as a butterfly symbol appeared around his eyes to control him.

"Dark Owl," Hawkmoth said.

"You! No!" he gasped and tried to break the connection.

"Don't even try. You can't get rid of me that easily. Turn around."

Dark Owl turned and gasped when he came face to face with the man who gave him these powers all those years ago.

"Get away from me! Haven't you ruined my life enough all ready!"

"I didn't come here to reminisce, old man. That girl you were with, Marinette. She is my daughter and I need to bring her home. Tell me where that tunnel leads to."

"Like I would believe that adorable, sweet, innocent girl could really be your daughter. Someone like her couldn't possibly have someone like you as a father!"

"Talk or else!"

To emphasize his point, Hawkmoth took out his dagger and pointed it at Dark Owl. But Dark Owl still refused.

"Do what you want to me and the others, but we will never talk. Marinette is our friend! We will never let you corrupt her like you did us."

He was strong. Hawkmoth could sense his darkness fading a little. Whatever Marinette did seemed to have weaken their corruption, but he could still sense the darkness.

Just as Dark Owl turned to leave, Hawkmoth still had one more trick up his sleeve.

"What if I told you I could return you to normal?"

This stopped Dark Owl in his tracks.

"Can...Can you really do that?" he asked.

Hawkmoth had him now.

"Of course. I gave you these powers and I could easily take them away," Hawkmoth said.

"So why didn't you before? We gave you so many rings like you wanted, but were never please."

"I wanted a certain ring, but you and your friends in there didn't bring me a black ring with a green paw print on it. I said I would return whoever did to normal. No one did, so no one held up their end of the bargain. But now, I would like to make a deal with only you: tell me where those tunnels lead to and I will return you to normal."


	11. Chapter 11

Cat and Marinette walked in silence for awhile down in the dark tunnels. His plan to scare her back to her tower failed again, but she did end up making new friends.

It was strange.

Back at the pub, Marinette seemed to have almost glowed when she got everyone to talk about their dreams. It was probably a trick of the light, but she had a way to make the darkness inside almost anyone disappear.

Finally, Plagg spoke up.

"So, are we not going to talk about what happened back there?"

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"What do I mean? Sweetie, you just made a whole pub sing and dance and talk about their dreams!" he pointed out.

"Plagg's right. Didn't know you had it in you, Bug-a-boo," Cat agreed.

"I KNOW!" she cheered, then calmed down, "I mean I know."

It really was an experience. Papa had always told her how dangerous the world was with evil people. But those people weren't dangerous or evil. They looked like it, but they were good deep down. Maybe she would use her powers someday to help them achieve their dreams. For now though, she wanted to get to know her guild.

"So, Cat, where are you from?" she asked.

"Whoa there, Bug-a-boo. I don't do backstories," Cat said, "But I am very interested in yours. Now I know I shouldn't mention the hair, or the father, and I'm afraid to ask about Tikki there. So, here's my question: if you wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"

For the first time since they met, Marinette didn't know what to say. If she told him the truth, that would mean revealing her power and she didn't trust him or Plagg like that yet.

Before she could give him an answer, the tunnels started shaking. Heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the tunnel behind them when the palace guards showed up!

"Cat!" Marinette warned.

"Noir!" Nino yelled.

"Run! RUN!" Cat yelled.

They ran the rest of the way down the tunnel and into a canyon with a river dam.

"Who is that?" she asked pointing at Nino.

"They don't like me," Cat answered.

"And them?" she asked pointing at the guards.

"They don't like me either."

"And them?" as Chloe and Sabrina showed up.

"Let's speed this up. Everyone here doesn't like us two," Plagg answered.

Looking around, Marinette got an idea. She gave Plagg her yo-yo and threw her hair at a scaffold, swinging herself to safety. While she was working to help Cat, guards came at them. Cat used his baton and Plagg used Marinette's yo-yo to defend themselves. To their surprise, the yo-yo was a huge help.

"Cat, I know what I want for Christmas this year and it's a yo-yo," Plagg said.

Nino and Alya appeared, swords raised to fight. They went at each other, Plagg hitting them and Cat rejecting their swings.

"You should know this is the weirdest fight I've ever done!" Cat called over the fighting. Never had he seen a small black cat humanoid fight guards with a yo-yo by his side.

"Speak for yourself! After everything I've seen in my life, this is nothing," Plagg said.

Alya and Nino swung at them and knocked their weapons out of their hands and falling into the cavern with a CLANK.

"Best two out of three?" Cat hoped, but was answered with swords pointed at them.

"Finally! No where left to hide, Noir," Nino said.

"You say that every time, but my buddy and I always find a way out," Cat remarked.

"Cat!" Marinette called and threw some of her hair for them to catch.

"Right on cue. Well you two, until we meet again," he bowed and swung down on Marinette's hair.

"Are you kidding me?! He was there! He was right there! We had him and we lost him! No! Not this time! I am not letting those two get away this time!" Alya declared. With her sword, she swung at one of the support beams until it broke. This caused the dam to crack and a huge spray of water flow out.

Cat and Marinette ran with their kwami's tow as an aqueduct began to fall behind them and soon, the whole thing burst! The blocked water exploded out, sweeping away everything and everyone in its path.

The force knocked into a giant rock formation and made it fall like dominoes in its wake! Up ahead was an abandoned mine shaft they ran into for cover. Cat saw his baton and Marinette's yo-yo and grabbed them and the kwami's into the shaft.

The rock formation missed them, but blocked their way out as water seeped in. It was coming in fast!

They moved as far back as could but there was no was no way out. While trying to move the rock wall in search of some way out, he let out a cry as he injured his hand. Instead, he dove under while Marinette looked. Cat burst to the surface with grim news.

"It's no use. I can't see anything," he told them.

No. no, that couldn't be!

Marinette dove under, but Cat pulled her back up.

"Hey. There's no point. It's pitch black down there," he said.

The water levels were up to their chests now. There was no way out. They were trapped and were going to drown.

"This is all my fault. He was right. I never should have done this!" she cried, "I'm...I'm so sorry, Tikki and Plagg. I'm so sorry, Cat."

Cat took a deep breath. He had a secret he never told anyone, not even Plagg.

"Adrien," he said.

"W-what?" she asked.

"My real name is Adrien Agreste," he told her, "Someone might as well know."

"Ok. If we're sharing secrets, I have something to get off my chest," Plagg said, "Tikki, I know I seem like I don't care about anyone or anything besides myself and cheese, but that's because...I'm afraid. I'm afraid of messing up. I'm the kwami of destruction after all. Everything I touch is destroyed because bad luck follows me everywhere I go. No matter how many times I've tried to help in the past, something always goes wrong. Atlantis. Pompeii."

"Oh Plagg. I'm so sorry you feel that way. I should have tried to reach out to you more instead of yelling at you. All those years ago when we split up is something I wish we never did. We should've helped each other find our owners," Tikki confessed, "You made mistakes, but everyone does. Some of those mistakes can never be undone, but at least we've made up and can go as friends again."

Hearing everyone confess their secrets gave Marinette the confidence to tell him her secret.

"I have magic earrings that make me glow when I sing,"

"...what?" Cat asked. Did he hear her right or did he just have too much water in his ears?

"I have...magic earrings that make me glow when I sing!" she gasped. That was it! She had to start singing! And quickly because the water was up to their necks now!

"Earrings gleam and glow! Be the lucky charm-"

They all took deep breaths as the water rose over their heads. For a moment, everything was dark...but then Marinette's hair and whole body glowed with a bright light, lighting everything underwater.

"Whoa!" Cat gasped, air bubbles escaping his mouth. They needed to find away out now so he could gasp in the fresh air.

Thanks to Marinette, they all saw a rock pile that was sucking a little water out. The swam over to where her hair was being sucked and began to move the rocks out of the way, just in time because the glow began to fade. Suddenly, Cat's arm burst through and felt fresh air! The rock wall crumbled and everyone fell into a river on the other side. They washed up on a near by bank, coughing and sputtering water and alive.

"We made it," Marinette said. She'd cheer, but she was exhausted.

"The girl glows," Cat said in disbelief. He was more focused on her glowing power than themselves being alive at the moment.

"We're alive," she went on and got up to gather the rest of her hair.

"Didn't see that coming," he went on, "Not just her hair glows either. Her entire self actually glows."

"Adrien," she called using his real name.

"Why does she glow?!"

"Adrien!"

"WHAT?!" He had questions and needed them now!

"I don't just glow," she told him.

He looked down and saw Tikki smiling at him. Show time!

"Why is she smiling at me?" he asked. He was a little scared.

She promised to show and tell him everything, but they needed to build camp first. They were wet and cold and needed a fire asap.

* * *

**How's that for Plagg's confession! Thought it would add more to him. Show his sensitive side. Next chapter will be another favorite of mine! You would not believe how many times I watched the campfire scene just for Eugene's reaction to her magic hair when Tangled first came out! Haha!**


	12. Chapter 12

On the other side of the forest, Hawkmoth hid behind a boulder with his dagger drawn at the location to where the Miracle Box escape tunnel led.

That Dark Owl sang like a canary when Hawkmoth promised to turn him back to normal. But instead of doing it right away, he left.

"Wait! What about me? You promised!" Dark Owl had pointed out.

"Yes. I did. But I have to make sure your information is correct. If it is and I get my daughter back, only then will I take away my akuma," Hawkmoth had said.

It seemed Dark Owl was right. There was the old tree with a hollow center and a wooden door with the Miracle Box painted on it.

Something began to pound on the other side of the wooden door. Hawkmoth stood with his dagger at the ready. He inched closer and closer until it opened and two girls came out, coughing and wet. This made him stop where he was. This wasn't Cat Noir or Marinette! Just those Chloe and Sabrina girls from the pub. He hung back to see what would happen next.

"I'll kill him! I'll kill that Noir!" Chloe declared.

"I thought you wanted to marry him," Sabrina pointed out.

"I do! I want to marry him first, then kill him after!" she yelled.

"You will, but first we need to get the crown. We won't even have to pay him after all that has happened to us, I mean you," Sabrina said.

Hawkmoth sensed it. Feelings of anger, betrayal, and a thirst for vengeance. The perfect mix for akumas.

Hawkmoth plucked two pure white butterflies from a nearby flower field and infused them with darkness, enough to influence the girls without giving them super powers.

"Fly away, my little akumas, and evilize these girls!" he told them.

The akumas landed on the girls and a butterfly symbol appeared on both their faces.

"Chloe and Sabrina, I am Hawkmoth. I have heard of your little predicament with Cat Noir and Plagg the kwami. But I have something that can benefit all of us," he told them.

"How so?" Chloe asked.

"Let's talk face-to-face. Turn around and look up," he instructed.

They did as they were told and saw Hawkmoth's masked face. In his hand was a satchel.

"I believe this is yours?"

"Give me that!" Chloe yelled.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Sabrina backed Chloe up.

"Oh there's no need for that," he said and threw the satchel to them. Upon further inspection, the crown was still inside and still in perfect condition.

"Well, if that is all you desire, then be on your way. I was going to offer you something worth a thousand crowns. Maybe even more. It would have made you rich and famous beyond belief. And that wasn't even the best part! But oh well. Enjoy your one crown," he bid and turned away. Any minute now.

In 3...2...1...

"Wait!" Chloe called, "What's the best part?"

He had them now. To entice them, he pulled out the wrinkled wanted poster.

"It comes with revenge on Cat Noir."

Chloe and Sabrina looked at each other and smiled.

"We're listening."

* * *

A roaring fire crackled to life just before the sunset. With a warm fire and berries that were safe to eat, Marinette got to work tending to Cat's hand. She was silent as she did so.

"Well you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand,' Cat said then winced in pain.

"Sorry," she apologized, "Just don't...don't freak out."

He had no idea what she was talking about, but let her do what she needed to do: sing, making every part of her glow.

"_Earrings, gleam and glow  
Be the lucky charm.  
__Make the clock reverse  
Return all that was before._

_Light what has been dark  
Please do not ignore  
__Save what has been lost  
Return all that was before._

_That was before..."_

As she sang, Cat felt warmth enter his hand from her glowing hair. He felt a warm energy not just in his hand, but in his heart. It felt like any negative feelings he had been harboring vanished.

When she finished, she stopped glowing.

Cat removed her hair and looked at his hand. His mouth dropped and his eyes went wide when he saw his hand was completely healed. The scratch was gone with no pain.

This was too much for him.

His breathing became heavy.

He opened his mouth to scream.

"Please don't freak out!" Marinette stopped him.

"It's ok, Cat," Tikki said, floating right in front of his face, "Focus on me. Deep breathes now. Deep breath in. Hold. 1,2,3. Deep breath out. You're ok. Everything is ok."

Cat did as Tikki said, but he still wanted to freak out. He tried not to though.

"I'm not freaking out. Are you freaking out? No, I'm totally use to magic, especially magic like this, and am just interested in the healing properties you seem to have. How long have you been doing this?" he tried to say as calmly as possible.

Marinette smiled. At least he wasn't screaming. He was still freaking out, but in a calm way. After everything they had been through since that morning, she felt it was time she told him the whole truth.

"Since forever I guess?" she said and began her story, "Papa said when I was a baby, my earrings gave me the gift to heal, bring good luck, and create. Because of this, people wanted my earrings. The problem is they are magically stuck on for as long as I'm alive. Papa tried to appease people by offering a lock of my hair. But once it's cut, I stop glowing and lose my power for a moment. When he checked, one of the spots on my earrings was gone. He's afraid if something like cutting my hair or something happened to me, all the spots would be gone. Should all five spots disappear, I could permanently lose my power. A gift like mine has to be protected. That's why Papa...that's why I never left..."

"You never left that tower," Cat finished. He kinda felt bad for her. She had to be shut away from the world and miss out on so much because of greedy people.

But maybe after today, she saw that not everyone was like that.

"And you're still going back?" he asked.

"No...yes...ugh! It's complicated," she grunted. She wanted to stay so badly. The people were nothing like what Papa told her about. Besides the guards chasing them, everyone had been so kind and helpful. But the tower was all she knew. She was safe there with Papa.


	13. Chapter 13

She sighed and changed the subject.

"So. Adrien Agreste huh?"

"Yeah! What is up with that name? Why didn't you tell me?" Plagg asked.

"Because I knew you would make fun of me!" Cat pointed out.

"How exactly did you two meet?" Tikki asked.

"I'll tell you if you tell me how you two meet," Cat said.

"Well, it was 10 years ago. Plagg and I had split up a few weeks before," Tikki told them, "I was cold, wet, hungry, and very weak as I searched for the owner of the ladybug Miraculous, but something was preventing me from sensing her. That was when I found Marinette's tower. This adorable 4 year old girl cradled me in her hands and healed me. When I came to, I knew she was the one I was searching for."

"But I had to keep her a secret," Marinette continued, "If Papa found out I had Tikki, he would get rid of her!"

But Tikki swore that would never happen. Nothing would split these two best friends up ever!

Now it was Cat's and Plagg's turn.

When Cat was a baby, he was found on the orphanage doorstep. He was wrapped in a a blanket that had a note attached with nothing but the name Adrien Agreste, his birthday, and a black ring with a green pawprint on it. Npbody knew if he was orphaned or abandoned.

"We met when I committed my first crime at 7 years old. I was hungry and couldn't wait until dinner. So, while walking along the market on a warm Spring day, the bakery just put out some fresh bread outside and the baker went back in to get some more. That was when I went up and swiped some bread without anyone noticing, except Plagg," he explained.

"I could sense the Miraculous and saw how sneaky this kid was. So, i met up with him and we teamed up. This thing is when I asked for his name, he said it was Cat Noir," Plagg finished.

"It's only fair you now tell us where the name Cat Noir came from," Marinette said.

She scooted closer to him and placed her chin on her hands to show she was listening. No way could he get out of their agreement now.

"There was this book. A book I would read to the younger orphans: The Miraculous Tales of Chat Noir! Swashbuckling superhero, richest guy alive, not bad with the ladies despite the cat puns that made every except me groan," he explained. He loved that book! He would gasp when the hero was captured, laugh at the ridiculous cat puns, and cheer when he got the bad guys.

"Was he a thief too?" Marinette asked.

"Uh well no. Actually, he had enough money to do whatever he wanted. He could go anywhere he wanted to go. And, for a kid with nothing, I don't know. It just seemed like a better option," he confessed, "Look, you can't tell anyone about this, ok? It could ruin my whole reputation. That goes for you too, Plagg."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us," she promised.

"Good. Because a reputation is all a man has. It would be pawful if something should happen to it," he joked.

They both laughed until she looked up at him with her big bluebell eyes. They had a sense of kindness, innocence, and understanding in them. Cat could stare into them forever. He shook his head free from the spell and got up to get some more firewood with Plagg. Before they went, Marinette called to him.

"Hey. For the record, I like Adrien Agreste much better than Cat Noir."

"Well...then you'd be the first," Cat-no-Adrien said as he looked at his hand that she healed, "Come on, Plagg."

"One sec. Tikki," Plagg said, "about what happened earlier, you know, about what I said?...That conversation never happened and we will never speak of it again."

"Alright," Tikki laughed. Typical Plagg. Trying to keep his carefree ways.

Marinette and Tikki were left alone by the fire. She smiled to herself. It had been one heck of a day! Hard to believe just 12 hours ago, she was still in her tower, wondering when he life would begin, and now had a different view of the world. And all thanks to Adrien Agreste.

"Well! I thought he would never leave!" someone said behind her.

Marinette turned around in surprise at the familiar voice to see a man remove his hood to reveal his masked face.

"Papa?" she gasped.

"Hello, dear," he greeted.

Marinette stood up while Tikki hid somewhere nearby. Hawkmoth walked up to her and gave her a stiff awkward hug.

"But I-I thought you were..." she stammered, "How did you find me?"

"Oh it was easy really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that," he explained.

Marinette sighed. Of course he played the guilt card. He always did. But didn't he understand how important this was to her?

"Father-"

"We're going home, Marinette. Now," he declared and took her wrist,

No, he did not understand. So Marinette would explain everything that has happened and hope he'd let her continue.

"Papa, you don't understand," she said, stopping him, "I've been on this incredible journey and have seen and learned so much. I even met someone."

"Yes. The wanted thief. I'm so proud. Come on, Marinette."

"Papa, wait. I think...I think he likes me." She really truly believed Adrien liked her and she liked him...a lot.

"Likes you? Please, Marinette. That's demented."

"But Papa-"

"This is why you never should've left."

Marinette sighed again. There he went again. He was going to belittle her again.

"Dear," he went on, "this whole romance that you've invented with him just proves you're too naive to be here. Why would he like you? Come on now, really. Look at you! Your long hair, old red and black dress, your strange powers, and so on. You think he's impressed? He isn't. Don't be a bother. Come with Father. After all, Father knows-"

"NO! Marinette yelled. She was tired of him always belittling her all the time! She wasn't a little kid anymore! She was just a few hours away from being 14 years old and he needed to start treating her with respect and to let her make her own decisions.

"No?" he questioned. Did she just say no to him? That was new. She always did as he told her. That's what has made it so easy to control her. What has gotten into her?

One look at her and he realized it.

"Oh. I see how it is," he said, "She goes on this one little trip and suddenly Marinette knows best. Marinette is so mature now. Such a clever grown up miss. If that is how you feel, fine. If you're so sure now, go ahead and give him THIS!"

From his cloak, Hawkmoth pulled out the satchel and the crown inside.

"How did you find that?!" Marinette gasped.

"This is why he's here! Don't let him deceive you!" he told her, giving her the satchel and crown, "Give it to him, watch and see!"

"I will!" she declared.

"Trust me, my dear," he said, snapping his fingers, "That's how fast he'll leave you and I won't say I told you so. But no! Marinette knows best! So if he really is trustworthy, go and put him to the test!"

He began running back into the woods. Marinette called out to him, hoping that they could talk and get him to understand her.

"If he's lying, don't come crying to me! Remember: Father knows best!"

With a swoosh of his cloak, Hawkmoth was gone.

Marinette stood in shock for a moment. Great! Now he would trust her again. What did he know anyway? Papa didn't know Adrien like she did. But did she really? Was there a possibility that he would leave her the first chance he saw the satchel? Was her romance something she really was inventing and this whole nice side of him a trick?

"Marinette?" Tikki called and appeared next to her, "I saw the whole this from my hiding place. What are you going to do? Will you give it to him when he comes back?"

"To be honest, Tikki, I don't think so," she confessed, "At least not now. I promise I will, but only when the moment is right."

Before they could discuss it any further, they heard Adrien and Plagg talking. Quickly, Marinette hid the satchel somewhere safe just as the two came back.

"Hey, Bug-a-boo, can I ask you something? Is there any chance that I'm going to get super strength? Because, not gonna lie, that would be pawsome!" he said and saw her stiff position, "Hey. You alright? "

Marinette snapped out out of what happened with Hawkmoth.

"Oh. Sorry. Yes. Just, um, lost in thought I guess," she said. It wasn't a lie. Just leaving out some things she didn't want him to worry about.

Adrien seemed to buy it as he went back to talking about having super strength in his hand. Nearby though, Hawkmoth hid in some bushes with Chloe and Sabrina. Just as he planned, Marinette became doubtful of everything.

Chloe and Sabrina didn't want to wait any longer and got up to go get them, but he stopped them.

"Patience, girls. All good things must come to those who wait," he told them.

Now was not the time. They had to wait for the perfect moment. Then, and only then, would they get what they were after.


	14. Chapter 14

The sun was up high as it casted its warm on the friends campsite. Adrien and Plagg slept comfortably with a rock as Adrien's pillow when he felt a drop of water on his cheek. Even with closed, he could tell it was too beautiful a day for it to rain. Instead of rain clouds, he opened his eyes to see Captain Nino and Commander Alya, soaking wet, breathing hard, and very mad.

"Well, I hope you two are here to apologize," Adrien said.

Oh now he was going to get it!

Marinette was woken up to the sound of their screaming to see the royal guards grabbing him and Plagg. Nino was practically dragging Adrien by his ankles! Quickly, she pushed her hair she was using as a blanket away and ran to them.

"Cat Noir and Plagg the kwami, by the power vested in me by the kingdom of Coccinelle, you are both under arrest!" Nino declared.

"Anything you say or do can and will be used against you when determining a proper punishment," Alya added.

"I was framed! I don't even know this kid! I want my lawyer!" Plagg yelled.

Marinette took hold of Adrien's hands and began to pull him. Nino was surprised by how strong this strange girl was. He actually needed to request backup from Alya, making her release Plagg to help him.

"Give me...back...my...guild!"Marinette demanded.

Nino's hands began to slip until everyone went tumbling down. Alya gave a growl and got up with Nino to apprehend the two, but Marinette stopped them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's all calm down for a minute and talk this out," she said.

"Miss, are you aware that this boy and his kwami are wanted by the kingdom of Coccinelle? They are thieves and con artists!" Alya informed.

"Yes, I am aware of that, but you see...Alya and...Nino," she read on their name plates, "today is kinda the biggest day of my life and I need you two to not lock them up."

"What?!" Alya yelled.

"Absolutely not! Out of the question!" Nino declared.

"Just for 24 hours, and then you can chase each other to your hearts content," she promised.

"Forget it! We don't make deals with criminals," Alya stated, "Besides, the lanterns are tonight and I refuse to miss them! If we lock them up now, we won't have to worry about it. We can watch the lanterns in peace."

"That's why I need them! They're my guild around the kingdom so I can watch the lanterns tonight! It's a super long story, but I've dreamed of seeing them for so long. Please? Just for today," she pleaded.

Adrien was willing to do it, but the guards still refused. So Marinette pulled out the big guns.

"And it's also my birthday. Just so you know."

The two sighed. They had to bring Adrien and Plagg in, but they couldn't deny someone on their birthday.

With a grunt, the four shook hands in agreement of a temporary truce. At least it was only 24 hours.

Bells were heard in the distance.

Marinette followed the sound to a bridge that led to the island town of Coccinelle, home of the floating lanterns. This was going to be the best day of her entire life! She was outside, about to go into a town, be surrounded by people, and see the lanterns later tonight!

Behind her, Adrien, Nino, Plagg, and Alya started shoving each other until Tikki flew over to remind them of their agreement. They quieted down, but still hated each other.

As soon as Marinette walked through the large stone archway, she couldn't believe what was happening! The whole town was decorated with banners and garlands, carts and stores with people hustling to and fro in every direction. There was so much to see, smell, taste, touch, hear, and do. She didn't know where to begin!

But people kept tripping and stepping on her hair. Adrien ran up to help her gather her long hair. This wouldn't do. They needed to somehow shorten it.

Four little girls braiding each others hair on a fountain caught their attention, so Adrien whistled to them. One look at Marinette's hair and they were in! They had waited their entire lives for a challenge like this! Marinette sat patiently on the cobblestone street while the girls braided and weaved flowers into her hair. The others waited patiently for her, ducking the guards whenever Adrien and Plagg saw them. Finally, Marinette was done. She couldn't believe how beautiful it was! She could twirl, walk, and do so much more now that she wouldn't get tangled in her hair.

"Thank you!" she thanked as she twirled for them, "I love it!" Adrien smiled at her. She seemed really happy.

"What's this I see? Did the infamous Cat Noir have his heart stolen by the dark haired beauty?" Nino teased.

"Be quiet," Adrien smirked.

"You can't lie to us. It's written all over your face. You like her," Alya joined in.

"I do not! She's just a friend. Plagg, help me out," Adrien begged.

"Cool it, guys! My boy here does not like her...he loooooves her!" Plagg corrected.

"You are no help!" Adrien yelled, earning laughs from them.

Soon, Marinette was dragging them around the town to experience as much as she could. While waiting in line for cupcakes, Marinette looked over at a mosaic on a wall and stepped out for a closer look. The mosaic was of a man and woman in crowns Marinette guessed was the king and queen of the kingdom. And in their arms was a baby with midnight hair, same color as the queens. Underneath the mosaic were flowers and people gathered to pay their respects.

"It's for the lost princess," one little girl said and placed a flower beside the others.

"The lost princess?" Marinette wondered.

"You don't know about the long lost princess of Coccinelle?" Alya asked, "14 years ago, Queen Sabine had given birth to a beautiful baby princess. But instead of crying like babies are supposed to do when they're born, the baby didn't. The doctors did everything they could, but even the best ones couldn't do anything. The baby was going to die. But then, a miracle happened. King Tom found something, I don't know what, but it saved the baby! In celebration of her birth and the miracle, the king and queen launched a lantern into the air. But that exact same night, someone broke into the castle and kidnapped the princess from her cradle!"

"Why would someone do that?" Marinette gasped.

"To this day, no one knows. Every member of the royal guard and court searched everywhere for who knows how long and couldn't find her. She and the kidnapper just...disappeared without a trace," Alya continued, "That's why we have this lantern celebration every year. We hope where ever the princess is, she can see these lanterns and find her way back home to us."

That was one of the saddest stories Marinette ever heard. Why would someone kidnap an innocent baby?

The poor king and queen! They tried so hard to bring their daughter back from near death only to lose her still.

As Marinette stared at the mosaic, she couldn't take her eyes off of the baby. It almost looked like her!

Just then, some musicians passed while playing a song.


	15. Chapter 15

Marinette pried herself away from the mosaic to follow them. When Adrien, Nino, and the kwami's turned around with some snacks, they saw Marinette dancing to the music.

It wasn't long until she started bringing people in and soon, everyone was dancing and clapping in time to the music. At one point, she encouraged Adrien to join her, but he declined. He didn't dance. But Nino pushed him in, earning a glare from Adrien. Nino laughed before Alya took him to join the crowd. Plagg and Tikki even floated above everyone to dance.

In between dancing, Marinette explored the town. They checked out the local library, filled with more books than she had ever seen in her life, made chalk art with everyone and creating a big beautiful version of Coccinelle symbol, the ladybug, and ate cupcakes while hiding from the guards. Adrien even bought her a birthday present: a red cloth with the ladybug on it.

Whenever they were dancing, they tried to dance together, but would end up with different partners. When they were together at last, the song ended. They had a lot of fun though.

"To the boats!" someone announced.

It was time! Adrien had one more surprise for her: a boat ride on the water.

Alya and Nino stayed behind on the deck. After spending the day with Adrien and Plagg, the two got to know them better and liked them a lot. They hoped they could talk to the king and queen in hopes of getting a lighter sentence for his crimes. At least they had an awesome view of the lanterns.

"Hey Nino! Alya!" he called, and tossed them a bag. Inside were two apples, some bread and cheese, apple cider, and a blanket. A picnic under the lanterns.

They gave him a skeptic look.

"What? I bought them," he assured them.

Satisfied, they began setting up the blanket.

"Most of them," he added.

"Huh?" Nino said.

"Where are we going?" Marinette asked.

"Well, best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent sear," Adrien answered.

The sun had set and all that was left was to wait.

"You ok?" he asked. For someone who talked nonstop about this moment, Marinette didn't look excited.

"I'm terrified," she confessed.

"Why?"

"I've been looking out a window for 14 years, dreaming about what it would feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything that I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be."

"And what if it is? What then?"

"Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream."

Marinette felt better. What would her new dream be after this?

One thing was for sure though. Adrein had a new dream in mind.

* * *

Up in the castle, Queen Sabine fixed King Tom's ladybug medallion and caught a peek at his distraught face.

"Oh Tom," Sabine said. She understood her husbands pain. Every year, they launched these lanterns and every year they still turned up nothing of their precious little girl. Just when they were able to sleep soundly, knowing their baby would live, she's taken away from them. They never even got to give her her official name.

Sabine placed a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it.

"Why do we even try? What if she never comes back?" Tom sighed.

A single tear slid down his cheek with a yearning to hold his baby in his arms again.

It pained Sabine to see him so hurt. As king and queen, they had to appear brave and strong for their people. Only behind closed doors could they show how they really felt.

"Sh, sh," Sabine soothed, wiping the tear and wearing a sad smile, "Don't lose hope. She is out there some where and will return to us. But the only way to do so is with these lanterns. She will come back."

King Tom knew she was right. He couldn't give up! Their daughter was out there somewhere and they were going to find her, no matter what.

The front double doors opened to the balcony where their lantern sat on a pedestal. It was hard to believe just 14 years ago, they raised a lantern into the air in celebration of her birth. Now, they were to light her way home. Together, the king and queen raised their lantern with the ladybug symbol on it into the sky.

"Please let this be the year our daughter returns to us, safe and sound," the queen wished.

Everyone who saw that lantern lit theirs and raised them into the sky.

Out on the water, Marinette took flowers from Adrien's hands and set them on the water. Something glowing on the water's surface caught her eye. Was that what she thought it was? Could it be?

Anxious, she scrambled to the boat's mast, making it sway as she tried to get a better view. There was no way she was going to miss a second of this!

A moment later, thousands of lanterns were floating through the air from the kingdom and ships. Marinette couldn't believe this was actually happening! Lanterns flew all around them.

"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life," she gasped.

"This is incredible!" marveled Tikki.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Plagg said.

From where they stood, Alya and Nino raised their own lanterns and wrapped their arms around each other after taking off their helmets as they watched it all.

Marinette couldn't help but notice Adrien was quiet.

Turning around, the surprises kept coming, for in Adrien's hands were two lanterns.

Marinette sat down in front of him. After everything he's done for her, the least she could do was give him something.

"I have something for you too," Marintte said and brought out the satchel, "Papa found me last night and told me to give it to you to prove something. I know I should've given it to you before, but I was just so scared. The thing is...I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

Instead of taking it though, he lowered it down.

"I think I'm starting to," he said. The truth was he didn't want it anymore. He didn't care about the money or castle or Plagg killing him later for losing so much cheese.

Together, they let their lanterns float above them just as all the other lanterns flew all around them. One very decorated lantern with the ladybug symbol began to float down, so Marinette leaned over and sent it back up with the others.

As Adrien looked at her, her own natural glow brighter than the lanterns made him realize something about what Alya said earlier.

All those years, chasing down a daydream. All those years, living in a blur. All that time, never truly knowing the things that were. Now she was there, shining in the starlight. Now she was there, and suddenly he knew. It was crystal clear. He was where he was meant to go! And that was with Marinette! He loved her! She was funny, smart, determined, beautiful, optimistic, kind, loving, and saw the good in everything.

Marinette felt his hand in hers. She looked into his eyes and held his. At last, they saw the light! It felt like the fog was lifted. It was like the sky was new. And it was warm and real and bright and felt like the world had shifted.

"Everything is different, now that I see you," he told her.

"Ew gross! They're gonna kiss!" Plagg said, covering his eyes.

"Shush! You're ruining the moment," Tikki scolded.

Plagg was right. The two leaned in closer and closer, their eyes closed, and their lips puckered. Marinette wished this moment would last forever.


	16. Chapter 16

From his perennial vision, Adrien saw something glowing up ahead at the edge of the forest. It looked like two people were holding up an old metal and glass lantern. And those two people were Chloe and Sabrina. They walked away, but their message was loud and clear.

"Is everything alright?" Marinette asked. He looked worried about something.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Uh yes, of course," he stuttered, "I just..."

Adrien knew he would never live in peace with those two around. It needed to end.

He rowed back to shore, jumping onto the rocky shore.

"I'm sorry. Everything is fine," he assured her, "There's just something I have to take care of."

"Um...ok," she said.

"Stay here. I'll be right back, I promise. Come on, Plagg," he said.

Plagg obediently followed Adrien into the mist.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. Something does not feel right," Tikki said.

"It's alright, Tikki. They'll come back," Marinette assured.

* * *

Chloe and Sabrina sat nearby a little boat, waiting for Cat Noir and Plagg to show up. They had a score to settle.

"Hey! There you are! I've been searching everywhere for you two!" Adrien happily greeted, "I would've met up wit you at our appointed time in the cave, but we got a little side tracked."

They didn't answer him, so he went on.

"Anyhow, just wanted to apologize with you being captured. As we agreed, we have the crown right here, and it's all yours, free of charge." He tossed the satchel to them, the crown spilling out.

"Nice doing business with you, ladies. Don't recommend us to your friends. . We're out of the thieving business," Plagg said.

They two turned to leave, but the other two were not done.

"Holding out on me again, Cat Noir?" Chloe asked, "I heard you found something more special than this pathetic little trinket. I want her instead."

* * *

Back at the boat, Marinette let out a sigh of relief seeing a figure walk towards her.

"Oh thank goodness. I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me," she joked.

The figure suddenly became two. That wasn't Adrien. It was two girls. Where were Adrien and Plagg?

"He did," Chloe said with a wicked smirk.

"What? No. He wouldn't. He promised," she said.

"See for yourself," Chloe said.

Out on the water, Marinette and Tikki saw a small sailboat sailing in the mist. From where they stood, it almost looked like Adrien and Plagg with the crown in his hand.

"Adrien? Adrien! Plagg! Wait! Don't do this!" she cried out.

"Plagg! You selfish coward! I never should've trusted you!" Tikki yelled. Just when she thought she knew him, he does this again! How could they?

"Fair trade. A crown for the girl with the magical lucky healing powers," Sabrina said.

"What?" Marinette gasped. How did they know? Did Adrien...did he tell them?

"Sabrina, you're good at math. How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" Chloe asked.

"More than even the richest kingdom!" Sabrina cheered.

From behind them, they took out rope and a burlap sack to capture her. Now Marinette was afraid. It was exactly as Papa said would happen!

"No. Please. No!" Marinette begged.

"Run, Marinette! Run!" Tikki warned.

Marinette ran away as fast as she could get away from her pursuers, but her braided hair got snagged on a log. She tried to pull it off, but it was stuck and those two would get her any moment now. Suddenly, she heard whacks and grunts, then silence.

"Marinette!" a man cried out.

"Papa?" she wondered.

When she returned to the spot she was just in, there was Hawkmoth with a branch in his hand and the two girls unconscious on the ground. Once he saw her, his tensed shoulders relaxed in relief.

"Oh! My precious girl," he gasped.

"Papa!" she exclaimed and ran into his arms. He pulled away and checked her for any sign of harm.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm alright. How did you find me?" she asked.

"I was so worried about you, dear. So, I followed you. And when I saw them attack you, I..." he couldn't go on and clutched her close, "Let's go. Before they come to."

Before she left, Marinette took one last look out at Adrien and Plagg just as the last of the lanterns disappeared.

What happened? How could he do this to her? Was all of it one big act?

When she turned around, Hawkmoth set the lantern down and opened his arms. Everything that just happened came crashing into her and ran crying into his arms.

"You were right, Father! You were right about everything!," she sobbed.

"I know, darling. I know," he said. He wrapped an arm around her and held the lantern in his other hand as they began the long walk home.

He wished she had been an obedient girl, but at least now she would never go outside ever again. She would be safe, protected, and he would stay young forever. Hopefully, that Cat Noir wouldn't escape now.

* * *

Guards were on their nightly patrol of the docks. It was kind of boring. Nothing really ever happened. Until now.

A small sailboat appeared at the dock with someone tied to the wheel with something in his hand.

"Look!" someone called, "It's Cat Noir and Plagg! With the crown!"

The stomping of boots on the dock woke Adrien and Plagg up.

"Oh my head," Plagg moaned, "What happened?"

"Marinette," Adrien mumbled.

The last thing they remembered was Chloe and Sabrina and the worst headache of their lives. It dawned on them they were tied up with the crown in his hand. They were set up! Guards came at them and untied them.

"MARINETTE!" Adrien yelled, "Wait, wait, wait. Guys, let's talk things out."

They grabbed him and Plagg, but Plagg managed to slip out of their hold and fly away.

"Plagg, wait! Where are you going?" Adrien called out.

"Sorry, kid," he apologized and flew away.

"Plagg..." Adrien gasped in disbelief, then felt rage, "TRAITOR! COWARD! YOU SAID WE WERE IN THIS TOGETHER!"

"Should we go after him, sir?" a guard asked.

"Let him go. We've got the crown and Noir," another guard said.

Nearby, Alya and Nino were cleaning up when they heard the commotion. They saw Adrien get dragged away, shouting Marinette's name. Something wasn't right. In the short time they got to know him, Adrien was actually a good kid who was just lost. Something happened that separated him from Marinette, and they had to help him reunite with her before it was too late.

* * *

**Sorry it took so long, everyone. I've been job searching and the changing of the seasons makes me feel a little under the weather every time.**


	17. Chapter 17

Adrien sat in his dungeon cell, angry at Plagg and scared for Marinette. If those two hurt her in any way, he's claw them to pieces!

The door opened to reveal a guard. No one knew where Captain Nino or Commander Alya were, so they appointed another guard to oversee Adrien's punishment.

For his crimes, Adrien was sentenced to life in a far off prison. The guards were there to escort him to the prison ship.

* * *

After a long day's journey, Marinette and Hawkmoth finally made it back to the tower.

They sat on her bed while he undid her braid and plucked the flowers off and placed them into a basket.

"There," he said, plucking the last flower, "It never happened. Now, wash up for dinner. I'm making hazelnut soup."

But even her favorite dish wouldn't cheer her up. Ever since they got back home, Marinette mopped about what happened with Adrien. Her heart was broken.

"I really did try, Marinette," he sighed, "I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark and selfish and cruel. And if it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."

He left to go prepare dinner. His plan had worked. Marinette was safely home, she would never do this again, and no one would ever know their secret.

Unbeknownst to him, Marinette kept the cloth Adrien bought for her. After everything they had been through, none if it seemed to matter. All he wanted was that crown. As if a guy like him would like a girl like her.

"Oh, Marinette. Things will get better," Tikki tried. This whole thing was a shock to her too. She knew Adrien was a good kid. Special in fact. He had a Miraculous! He had feelings for Marinette. So why would he and Plagg leave like this? Plagg, despite everything Tikki shouted at him, would never stoop so low unless cheese was involved. None of it added up.

Marinette didn't listen.

She flopped back on her back with a sigh and looked from the cloth to the ceiling. Suddenly, she noticed something. She looked from her cloth to the artwork on her ceiling and back again. There was something in her painting she had never noticed before.

"What is it?" Tikki asked.

"Tikki, look up at my painting. There is something in the picture I subconsciously drew," she said, handing the cloth to her.

Tikki did the same as Marinette and gasped when she understood.

"Is that a..."

"A ladybug," Marinette finished.

She looked all around her.

There was one on the wall! And another on the ceiling! And another over there! And another! And another! And another!

The longer she stared, the more memories appeared until she had flashbacks.

A mobile with the ladybug symbol on it and turning to look at a man and woman.

The mosaic from the town of the king and queen holding the baby that looked like her.

And her looking at herself in the mirror, trying on the crown.

Marinette stumbled backwards into her vanity table with a cry as everything seemed to make sense.

The man downstairs wasn't her father!

* * *

"Marinette? Marinette, what is going on up there?" Hawkmoth called. He heard a cry and things falling upstairs. "Are you alright?"

Marinette stumbled into the doorway and clutched the curtains.

"I'm the lost princess," she mumbled.

"Speak up, Marinette. You know how I feel about the mumbling!" he scolded. Just because she was upset did not mean she could neglect his own feelings.

"I am the lost princess. Aren't I?" she said louder.

Marinette had never seen Hawkmoth look so scared before. But his silence spoke volumes.

"Did I mumble, Papa? Or should I even call you that?"

How did she know the truth?

No. He had to get back in control.

He plastered a smile on his face and laughed off what she said.

"Now, Marinette. What are you talking about?" Hawkmoth asked, "You're not making any sense, my dear."

He went to go hug her, but for the first time ever, she pushed him away.

"It was you! It was all you!" she accused. He was the one who kidnapped her from her real family! He was the one who lied to her! He was the one who drove Adrien away! And he was the one who told those two girls about her powers!

Now Hawkmoth was no longer smiling.

"Everything I did, I did to protect you," he said.

Was he serious? Was her actually trying to justify his actions?

She pushed him out of the way and started walking down the stairs as everything clicked in her mind about why Hawkmoth did what he did. It was never to protect her. He wanted her because of her power!

"I spent my entire life hiding from people that would use me for my power when I should've been hiding from you!" she said.

"Where will you go? He won't be there for you!" Hawkmoth said, indicating Adrien.

"What did you do to him?" Marinette wanted to know.

"That criminal is to be punished for his crimes."

Marinette gasped. He never left her. Adrien was set up and captured by the guards! The harshest punishment was a life sentence in a far off maximum security prison. Poor Adrien!

"Now, now. It's alright, it's alright. Listen to me. All of this is as it should be. You're safely home, those criminals are to be punished, and everything will go back to the way it was before."

He went to pat her on the head, but Marinette grabbed his wrist to stop him. She was sick and tired of him lying to her, mentally abusing her, using her, and trying to control her!

"No! You were wrong about the world! And you were wrong about me! And I will **never **let you use me ever again!" she declared.

In his struggle from her grip, Hawkmoth bumped into a mirror and shattered it, sending broken glass across the floor.

Marinette began to make her way to the trap door.

"Come on, Tikki," she called.

To Hawkmoth's disbelief, a kwami flew from Marinette's room over to her. She had a kwami all along? How had he not known? The spell he cast should have prevented this from happening!

The two were going back to Coccinelle and reunite Marinette with her real parents, free Adrien and Plagg, and lead everyone to the tower to arrest Hawkmoth.

But he wouldn't let that happen.

"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. Now I'm the bad guy," he said menacingly.

He gave up too much for her to leave. No doubt her little boyfriend would come save her, so Hawkmoth would have to set the stage for the owner of the Miraculous of Destruction.

* * *

**Thought I would lighten the sentence to life in a maximum security prison instead of the alternative.**


	18. Chapter 18

Back in the dungeons, the guards were escorting Adrien down the hall. It was time to set sail.

In a cell they were walking past, he saw Chloe and Sabrina. They were the reason why he was in this mess, so he struggled from his captors and ran to their cell bars.

"How did you know about her?! Tell me!" he yelled.

"Who? We don't know what you're talking about," Chloe pretended.

"You see this ring? All I have to do is say one word and it will destroy anything and anyone in its path!" he threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Chloe said.

"Try me!" he challenged, "Tell me how you knew about Marinette!"

"Ok, ok! It was the masked man!" Sabrina confessed, "He told us! He promised us fame and wealth if we helped him!"

"Sabrina!" Chloe yelled.

"I'm sorry, Chloe, but I don't want to die," she said.

It was a bluff. Adrien couldn't destroy anything without Plagg. But they didn't need to know that because Marinette was in danger.

More guards grabbed on to him.

"Wait! No! Wait!" he yelled, "You don't understand! She's in danger! Wait!" They didn't listen. To them, criminals would say anything to get out of their punishment and this one was no different.

When they got to the door that led out of the dungeon, Adrien looked over at the sound of cooing and saw a pigeon. It kind of looked familiar. Wasn't that one of Mr. Pigeon's pigeons?

All of a sudden, the front and back doors closed and were locked.

"What's this? Open up!" the guard ordered.

"What's the password?" two twin girls Adrien recognized as the Sapotis asked through a hole in the door.

"What?" the guard questioned.

"Nope," they giggled.

"Open this door!"

"Not even close. Hehe."

"You have three seconds to open this door!"

At one, a pub villain grabbed a guard holding Adrien.

At two, another villain grabbed the other guard.

When the lead guard turned around at three, he saw no one guarding Adrien!The door opened to reveal a villain named Darkblade appear and knock him out with a yo-yo.

"Yo-yos! Who knew, right!" Adrien said. Was he happy to see them!

"Indeed, Sir Noir. Let us make haste," Darkblade said.

More guards came down the hall. Adrien and the villains went down another hall with the guards close behind them until they were stopped by a guy called The Mime. He mimed there was a wall (which turns out there was as was his powers), then looked down the other hallway. Stone Heart came charging down and rammed right into the guards, their helmets knocked off.

Adrien made it to the courtyard, but it looked like every single guard in the kingdom came for him!

"Need some help?" someone called. Up ahead were Stormy Weather, Simon Says, Anasi, and Reflecta.

"Dark Cupid, you help Cat get to Marinette. We'll take care of these guys," Anasi said.

"Sorry, boys. But looks like there are some thunderstorms in the forecast today," Stormy Weather said and summoned a lightning storm with her umbrella. She aimed at the guards for lightning to strike around them.

"Simon Says you are all chickens," Simon Says said and threw cards with pictures of chickens on them at the guards. The cards disappeared on each guard and they all started acting like chickens.

Reflecta shot beams from her bracelet at some guards to look exactly like her. This confused the others as they didn't know which was the real one. Even with their help, there were still too many to fight.

Dark Cupid grabbed Adrien and flew him out of the courtyard and dropped him outside. Instead of falling to the ground, Adrien found himself on a horse.

"You ok, dude?" a familiar voice asked.

Adrien looked over and saw Nino and Alya on their own horses.

"Nino? Alya? You brought them here?" Adrien asked.

"We did, but it was all Plagg's idea. He came to us last night and explained everything," Alya said. Plagg appeared from behind her and flew over to his owner/best friend.

"Look, kid, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to bail on ya like that," he apologized.

"No, Plagg. I'm sorry. I should've trusted you. You knew something was wrong and you went to get help," Adrien apologized, "And you two. Thank you. I feel that maybe this whole time we've just misunderstood each other-"

"Pardon me. Sorry for interrupting this touching friendship moment, but don't we have a girl to save," Plagg pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. We should go," Adrien said.

"Lead the way, Noir!" Nino said.

With a kick, the horses ran with Adrien leading everyone to the tower Marinette was in. He hoped he wasn't too late. Weaving through the forest, they finally made it. Alya and Nino would stay outside in case Hawkmoth tried to get away.

"Marinette! Marinette, let down your hair!" he called.

At first, nothing happened. He was about to grab onto his baton until he heard the sound of a window opening. To his relief, her long dark hair flew out. He grabbed onto it and began climbing all the way up to her window. First, he would apologize and explain everything about last night. Then, they would run away together. No one would ever separate them again.

Finally, he climbed in the window and inside.

"Oh Marinette," he sighed, "I never thought I'd see you aga-" He trailed off when he saw her and Tikki gagged and chained to the floor.

"Tikki! Marinette! Oh my gosh!" Plagg gasped, "Hang on! We'll save you!" and started flying towards them.

But they seemed to be saying something. Their eyes showed horror pointed at Adrien. Plagg turned around and saw a dark figure behind Adrien with something glistening in his hand.

"ADRIEN! LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!" he shouted.

Adrien cried out in pain when he felt something sharp stab him in the stomach from behind. He crumbled into a ball onto the floor while Hawkmoth stood behind him with a dagger.

Plagg suddenly got sucked into the ring. Whenever a Miraculous owner was on the verge of death, their kwami was sucked back into their Miraculous. Marinette and Tikki gave muffled screams behind their gags.


	19. Chapter 19

"Now look what you've done, Marinette. This whole mess could've been avoided if you had just listened and been a good obedient little girl," Hawkmoth said and plucked the ring off of Adrien's finger with ease, "But don't worry, dear. This Miraculous Ring I've been searching for for years makes up for it. My akumatized victims failed where my daughter succeeded. And our secret will die with him.

Just to be on the safe side though, they were going somewhere far away where no one would ever find them again and she would never try to escape. He unchained them from the floor and started leading them to the secret door. But Marinette struggled. She couldn't leave Adrien. He was dying!

"Marinette, stop it! Enough!" Hawkmoth ordered, "Stop fighting me!"

In her struggle, her gag slipped off.

"No! I won't stop! For every minute for the rest of my life, I will never stop fighting to get away from you!" she said, "But, if you let me save him, I will go with you."

"No…" Adrien moaned, "No, Marinette."

"I will never run. I will never try to escape or fight you," she promised, "Just let me heal him, and you and I can be together. Forever. You can even keep me and Tikki separated. Just like you want. Everything will be the way it was before. I promise, Papa. Just let me heal him."

It was a tempting offer. And Marinette was known to keep her promises. Hawkmoth agreed to her terms. He unchained her and Tikki, but shackled Adrien in case he got an ideas about following them after he was healed./p

"Adrien!" Marinette cried.

She ran to him and removed his hand from the spot he was stabbed in. Blood was seeping through his shirt and vest. With every breath he took, it turned into a cough.

"Hurry! He's fading quickly!" Tikki warned.

"I'm so sorry. Everything is going to be ok in a moment," she assured.

"No, Marinette!" he tried.

"I promise. You have to trust me."

"No…I can't let you do this."

"But I can't let you die."

"But…if you do this…then you…will die…too."

"Shh. Hey. It's gonna be ok."

Hawkmoth felt like he was going to be sick. If he hadn't done that personal healing session while she was chained, he would be sick right now.

This was the only way Adrien could live. Marinette would never forgive herself if she didn't do something.

Before she started singing, he stopped her. There was something he needed to do first. He caressed her cheek to move her hair behind her. She leaned in close, thinking they were going to kiss for the first and last time. Instead, he took hold of all her hair and cut it with a broken mirror shard! Her power glowed around her and faded as the spots on her earrings began to disappear until they were gone completely with her powers.

"Noo!" Hawkmoth yelled, "No, no, no, no! What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Marinette's power was depleted, her earrings useless! Hawkmoth began to grow powerless, old, and weak as the years of using her caught up to him. This couldn't be happening!

Butterflies started coming off of him one by one as he cried out in agony until he was nothing more than of a swarm of butterflies and flew out the window. All that was left of Hawkmoth was his butterfly brooch.

Marinette was in shock until Tikki called to her.

Adrien!

She held him in her arms.

"No, no, no, no, Adrien. Look at me. Look. I'm right here. Don't go. Stay with me, Adrien," she begged, taking his hand in hers, "_Earrings, gleam and glow. Be the lucky charm. Make the clock reverse. Return all that was before_."

"Marinette," he whispered, stopping her, "You were my new dream."

"And you were mine," she told him.

The last thing he saw was Marinette's smiling face before falling into darkness.

Her heart broke into a million pieces. He sacrificed himself to save her. Because of him, she was free now.

Tikki went over to where Hawkmoth was and came back with Adrien's Ring. Marinette took it and held it close to her heart.

_"Light what has been dark,_  
_Please do not ignore._

_Save what has been lost,_  
_Return all that was before._  
_That was before."_

Tears dripped from her eyes and onto Adrien. Suddenly, she felt something growing warm. She opened her hand to see the Ring glowing. Her Earrings also began to glow as they had one last spot on them! The last bit of magic still inside of them swirled around each one in green, black, and red.

Quickly, Marinette slipped the ring onto his finger. He began to glow with a green aura and Marinette with a red aura.

Tikki understood what was happening. The legend of the Earrings of Creation and Ring of Destruction coming together was true and what Marinette wished for was for Adrien to live.

The glow faded just as the sun's light entered the room. Adrien began to breathe as he gave a cough. The pain from his wound was completely gone.

"Marinette?" he whispered.

"Adrien," she gasped.

"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for girls with short hair?" he joked.

"Adrien!" she cheered and hugged him. He was alive! Marinette let go of Adrien and kissed him. At first, Adrien was surprised. Then returned the feeling. He loved her and she loved him.

His ring began to glow and out came Plagg in a ball of light.

"Plagg!" Tikki cheered and hugged him, "You're back!"

"I'm back?" he gasped. That couldn't be. He could only be back if his owner were alive or he had a new one.

"Adrien!" Plagg cheered.

As soon as Tikki let him go, he flew over to Adrien and hugged him, something he never did and would probably never do again.

"I missed you too, pal," Adrien laughed, "I don't know about you, but I kinda want to get out of here."

"I do too," Marinette agreed.

"Wait! Before we go," Tikki said and flew up to Marinette's bedroom. She came back a moment later with two hair ribbon. "Remember how you said you always wanted to try pigtails?"

Marinette laughed. She used them to tie her hair into two pigtails. Now she was ready.

* * *

Nino and Alya raced down the hallway to where they were told the king and queen were. Sabine was reading a book while Tom looked out the window when they burst through the door, breathing hard./p

"Captain Nino? Commander Alya? What is it? Is everything alright?" the queen asked.

They didn't say anything except the two words the royals had waited 14 years to hear:

"She's here."

They ran all the way to the front door the two guards said she was waiting behind and stopped.

"Do you think it's her?" Sabine asked Tom.

"Only one way to find out," he said.

Taking deep breaths, they opened the doors to see a young girl with midnight pigtails standing next to a blonde boy.

Marinette turned when she heard the doors open and saw them.

The king stood where he was in shock, but the queen and Marinette moved closer to each other. Sabine placed her hand on Marinette's cheek to make sure she was real. She had Sabine's midnight hair and Tom's bluebell eyes.

"Is it really you?" she asked, eyes beginning to brim with happy tears.

"Yes. It's me. I'm home," Marinette said.

She didn't know what to do. Was she allowed to hug her or was she supposed to curtsey? To her surprise, Sabine hugged her. For the first time in Marinette's life, she felt love and warmth and kindness emanating from it rather than cold and awkwardness.

"My baby!" Sabine joyfully cried as she hugged her.

"Oh Mama!" Marinette cried too.

Mama. Oh how Sabine had longed to hear that word for so long.

Behind Sabine, Marinette looked up at King Tom.

"Papa?" she said.

That's what shined light into his heart fully. Being called Papa. All he could do was chuckle and cry tears of joy as he joined his wife in hugging their daughter. They kneeled down to the ground as the empty place in their hearts filled with the return of their baby.

"We love you, sweetie. We love you so much," they told her.

It was such a heartwarming scene to Adrien, Plagg, and Tikki. They couldn't be happier for them.

Sabine looked up at them and held out her hand to thank them. Adrien took it with a smile, but was pulled into the family hug. Whether he liked it or not, he was part of the family now.

After they caught up and told each other about what happened the past 14 years, a huge party was held. The kingdom rejoiced for their lost princess had returned. Marinette's magic was not as powerful as it use to be, but with Adrien's help, she was able to heal all of Hawkmoth's akumatized victims. Because of this, they were finally able to pursue their dreams.

During the festivities, Tikki and Plagg snuck off with the butterfly brooch to return it to Master Fu, who promised to keep this one safe with the other Miraculous'. When they returned, the party was still in full swing for a week!

Alya and Nino returned to their guarding duties, but required their soldiers to be skilled in combat yo-yo's. Their relationship also grew into a romance. It was very rare to see them apart nowadays. It was thanks to this love that crime in the kingdom disappeared overnight.

Tikki and Plagg never changed. They were a huge hit with the kids.

Adrien gave up his thieving ways, but occasionally stole Marinette's crown from her head just to tease her. He gave it back and apologized with a kiss.

At last, Marinette was home and she finally had a real family. She was a princess worth waiting for. But above all, she led her kingdom with the wisdom and kindness her parents did before her.

And years later, she and Adrien got married.

And they lived happily ever after

* * *

**Woo! Got it done! I hope you guys kinda liked it. At least a bit. I know it was hard to follow, but it kept my hope for Marinette and Adrien falling in love and being together alive. Especially after that Oblivio episode a few months back. FYI, the episode was evil for messing with us like that! ****But anyway, you guys, big surprise for you! You know that mini movie? Tangled Ever After? Weeeelllllll…I did that too! Surprise! I'll try posting it soon. Might be tomorrow. Might not be. But I will soon. Sailor Scouts honor!**


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